Note: The web links in this document may change over time. DARS-VDA does not attempt to refresh the links once

the week has passed. However, this document is maintained on the web for a period of time as a reference. Some links

may require registration.

VDA WEEKLY E-MAILING

May 23, 2017

Table of Contents

ACL News & Information Link NASUAD State Technical Assistance Link DARS Transportation Services for the Elderly and Disabled Fund Request for Proposals FAMILIES Program APSC Conference: A Balanced Life: Making Meaningful Connections National Health Care Decisions Day Ongoing Transmission of Candida Auris in Health Care Facilities ACL Update: Webinar: What CBO’s Need to Know: Managed Long Term Services and Supports ACL Update: CMS Announces Extension for States Under Medicaid HCBS Settings Rule Link to DARS Weekly Independent Living Newsletter

ACL News & Information

Here is a link to news & information from the Administration for Community Living (ACL):

https://acl.gov/

NASUAD Information

Here is a link to state technical assistance from NASUAD:

http://www.nasuad.org/state-technical-assistance

DARS Transportation Services for the Elderly and Disabled Fund

Request for Proposals

Tim Catherman, Director of Aging Operations

A Request for Proposals (RFP) has been issued for the Transportation Services for

the Elderly and Disabled Fund to provide services from July 1st, 2017 through

December 31st, 2018. An optional pre-proposal conference will be held on May 26th,

2017 at 10:30 a.m. at the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services Suite 100,

1610 Forest Avenue, Henrico, VA, 23229, for interested vendors/contractors

only. The purpose of this conference is to allow potential Offerors an opportunity to

present questions and obtain clarification relative to any facet of this

solicitation. Sealed Proposals Will Be Received Until June 7th, 2017 @ 3:00 p.m.

EST. Please access eVA for the RFP at https://eva.virginia.gov/pages/eva-i-sell-to-

virginia.htm. Click on “Virginia Business Opportunities”. Search for solicitation: 17-

247 at https://vendor.epro.cgipdc.com/webapp/VSSAPPX/Advantage.

FAMILIES Program

Devin Bowers, Dementia Services Coordinator

The FAMILIES Program (Family Access to Memory Impairment and Loss

Information, Engagement and Supports) is available to caregivers of individuals

with Alzheimer’s or other types of memory loss across the Commonwealth of

Virginia. Caregivers receive counseling and support over several months at no cost.

Funding for the program is currently provided by the Administration for

Community Living.

Benefits of the Program:

Reduced caregiver stress and depression

Increased family support

Increased knowledge for managing memory disorders Opportunities to gain insights and knowledge about caregiving

Assistance with finding local services and resources

Opportunities for respite care for loved ones during caregiver counseling

sessions

Similar programs have been shown to delay the need for nursing home care

Compassionate counselors will help with:

Assessing the caregiver’s individual situation and concerns

Helping caregivers understand memory loss and how it may progress

Developing a care plan that works for the caregiver and their family

Inviting other members of the family to participate in some of the counseling

sessions

Discussing coping strategies for stress and changes in personality/behavior To refer caregivers please consult the attached map to identify the appropriate provider. Virginia has three providers each serving different geographical regions of the Commonwealth. The caregiver should call the number for their area of residence in order to complete an initial screening process. For additional information about the program contact Devin Bowers, Dementia Services Coordinator, at the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (804- 662-9154 or devin.bowers@dars.virginia.gov).

APSC Conference: A Balanced Life: Making Meaningful Connections

Cecily Slasor on behalf of Dr. Ed Ansello Dear Friends,

Here's a fine inexpensive conference in Midlothian on Monday, June 5th.

We focus on spirituality, social media and technology, guardianship, art, supportive communities, and music, among other things, as tools for people with lifelong disabilities to make or keep connections. The overwhelming majority of the conference content is broadly relevant and generalizable.

We have kept registration at a very affordable $35, so agencies can send staff economically. PDF of the agenda and the link for registering online are pasted below. Would you please share?

Best wishes,

Ed

http://www.apsc2017.eventbrite.com/

A Balanced Life: Making Meaningful Connections

Monday, June 5, 2017

Doubletree by Hilton, 1021 Koger Center Boulevard, Richmond, VA

8:15-4:30

The 13th Annual Conference of the Area Planning and Services Committee for Aging

with Lifelong Disabilities (APSC)

8:15-9:00 Registration and Coffee

9:00-9:15 Welcome and Overview

9:15-10:30 Keynote Address

Nurturing the Spirit: A Vital Part of Holistic Care, by Kathy Fogg Berry, MS,

Department of Patient Counseling, School of Allied Health Professions, Virginia

Commonwealth University, and Chaplain, Westminster Canterbury Richmond

Regardless of people’s physical or cognitive abilities, their spirits are alive and well.

How do we recognize and nurture the spirit? Through lecture, discussion and story,

we’ll explore spirituality and religion and how to assess people’s spiritual and

religious needs. As we address those needs, we can help people living with lifelong

disabilities make valuable connections and achieve holistic well-being.

10:30-10:45 Coffee Break

10:45-12:15 Morning Breakouts

A. Supportive Communities: L’Arche Metro Richmond and Wall Residences

with Cheryl Emory, Chairman, Board of Directors of L’Arche Metro

Richmond, Inc., and Sharon Stroble, Regional Director

There is an array of residential programs which allow individuals with

disabilities to live and participate in their communities. This session will

highlight two different models. L’Arche is an international movement

which has established homes and communities which focus on respect,

friendship, and faith as people with and without disabilities share homes.

Wall Residences has established over 140 homes across Virginia where

families share their homes with children or adults with intellectual

disabilities under the Sponsored Placement model. Our speakers will talk

about the philosophy, values, and history of their organizations as well as

the challenges they face. In addition, the presenters will discuss how their

programs’ philosophy contributes to individuals with lifelong disabilities

developing meaningful relationships with community members and

groups. We will also show the short film, Place Matters, a documentary

about people with disabilities moving out of the state facilities to return to

the community.

B. Art for the Journey: Opening Minds through Art with Mark Hierholzer, President/CEO, Art for the Journey; Cynthia Paullin, Volunteer Coordinator, Art for the Journey; Nan Pascal, Community Relations

Director, St. Mary’s Woods Retirement Community; and volunteers from the Virginia Commonwealth University ASPiRE Program.

Attendees will learn about the Opening Minds through Art (OMA) program, developed by the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University of Ohio to engage individuals with dementia in creative expression. Through a collaboration among Art for the Journey, St. Mary’s Woods, and the VCU ASPiRE program, OMA has been offered in an assisted living facility in the Richmond area. Participants will have hands-on opportunities to make their own piece of art while applying OMA principles and techniques.

C. Supportive Social Media with Tony Gentry, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA,

Associate Professor, Dept. of Occupational Therapy, VCU

People with disabilities and their families now have wide-ranging online

resources for community engagement, health care networking,

collaborative problem-solving, shopping, and caregiving. We will discuss

some of the most popular social media being used for these supportive

engagement purposes, their benefits and challenges, and show how to

access and use them to your advantage. New and emerging technologies

will be introduced as well. We hope you will share your own experiences

with supportive social media as we all learn together how best to use these

networking tools.

Luncheon (12:15-1:15) Thanksgiving in June (roast turkey, vegetables, salad, and

dessert)

1:15-2:45 Afternoon Breakouts

D. When Words Fail: Practically Addressing the Spiritual Needs of People

with Dementia with Kathy Berry

Just as people with dementia gradually lose communication and self-care

abilities, they lose the ability to practice their faith and initiate spiritual

practices which would provide comfort, encouragement, and peace. They

need help to practice their faith and to feel the assurance of God’s

presence. Participants will receive practical information to help: discern

the emotional and spiritual needs of people living with dementia, address

those emotional and spiritual needs throughout the different stages of

dementia diseases, and learn valuable communication techniques to help

with providing spiritual care.

E. WINGS (Working Interdisciplinary Networks of Guardianship Stakeholders) with Paul DeLosh (Director of Judicial Services, Virginia Supreme Court), Erica Wood (Assistant Director, American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging), Sally Balch Hurme, and Amy Marschean (Senior Policy Analyst, Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services)

Panelists will discuss the history and goals of Working Interdisciplinary Networks of Guardianship Stakeholders (WINGS), and inform participants about how this initiative was started and is gaining momentum in Virginia. WINGS bring stakeholders together to improve and reform the guardianship process. Approximately 14 other states and the District of Columbia have active networks.

F. Connections through Music: The Science of Music and Music & Memory by

Daniel Goldschmidt, BME, Goldschmidt Music Services, LLC; and

Catherine Tompkins, MSW, PhD, and Emily Ihara, Associate Professors of

Social Work, George Mason University.

Music Therapy is a viable approach for many individuals, even those who

are resistant to other treatments. What does that look like? This session will

focus on the research-based practice of music therapy by board-certified

music therapists, as well as music-based strategies for caregivers. Music &

Memory is a program prevalent across the U.S., Canada, and eight other

countries that brings personalized music into the lives of older adults with

dementia and people with disabilities. Positive outcomes are often found

to be related to the level of significance that music had in the person’s life

prior to the onset of cognitive decline. We will discuss some of the research

that we are doing with the Music & Memory program in their

organizations.

2:45-3:00 Break

Closing Plenary (3:00-4:15)

Closing Plenary Session: Stories of Connections with and by consumers

Registration fee of $35 includes materials, lunch, and breaks. For information and

registration, please go to http://www.apsc2017.eventbrite.com/ or contact

eansello@vcu.edu.

This program has been made possible by the generous support of the Region IV

Consortium of Community Services Boards.

National Healthcare Decisions Day

Kathy Miller, Director of Aging Programs

Dear National Healthcare Decisions Day Team:

We're now just one month from NHDD/Week 2017 (and 11 months from NHDD 2018-and the beginning of our second decade!).

Based on various feedback, media results, and other indicators, we had another outstanding year, with events ranging from one day to full-week celebrations (and in some cases even more!). Thank you all!

Although it represents only a fraction of our total participant numbers, from the 180 of you who responded to the survey (so far!), we know the following:

Nearly 130,000 employees and members of organizations received NHDD and advance care planning information.

Over a half a million people attended public events and/or were exposed to NHDD through various media pieces.

Over 1,500 people created advance directive documents at various NHDD events.

On social media, we reached a huge audience. Over 26% of respondents were first year participants, while 15% have

participated all 10 years!

It is not too late to add to these numbers. PLEASE, PLEASE complete the short survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2017NHDDParticipantSurvey Note: it

only takes a few minutes to complete.

I'm still working on the media report-stayed tuned for that next month.

Looking for inspiration for next year? Check out this recent article from the Economist.

Mark your calendars now. April 16, 2018 is our 11th Annual NHDD!!!! And, by a margin of roughly 2:1, the current survey results indicate that we should repeat the week-long celebration again. To be clear you can participate in any way that suits you and your organization, whether it is a single day, a week, or anything else-and it really can be any time of the year, although targeting April 16 has obvious benefits.

Thank you for all you have done to make NHDD so successful. It is a true honor to be working with you.

Cheers,

Nathan

Chair

National Healthcare Decisions Day Initiative

www.nhdd.org or www.nationalhealthcaredecisionsday.org

Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn Join us by clicking here.

your decisions matter

Ongoing Transmission of Candida auris in Health Care Facilities

Kathy Miller, Director of Aging Programs

Please see the information below on identified cases of Candida Auris in health care facilities. Although Candida Auris is still rare in the United States, there has been an increase in the number of cases.

New MMWR Notes from the Field:

Ongoing Transmission of Candida auris in Health Care Facilities

CDC has just released an MMWR update on Candida auris (C. auris) cases identified in U.S. health care facilities through May 2017. C. auris is an emerging fungal infection that presents a serious global health threat for these reasons:

it causes serious infections, it is often drug resistant, and it spreads in healthcare settings.

In June 2016, CDC released the first clinical alert about C. auris. Soon after, CDC began reporting on the first U.S. cases. Although C. auris is still rare in the United States, we are seeing an increasing number of cases. The MMWR provides information on the 77 C. auris cases reported to CDC through May 12, 2017.

CDC’s C. auris website provides monthly updates on reported C. auris cases. What You Can Do CDC’s website offers question and answer pages for patients and family members and for healthcare workers, and interim recommendations for healthcare facilities and laboratories. What CDC is Doing CDC provides technical assistance to state health departments when cases are identified and continues to work with partners to contain the spread of C. auris. Using resources provided by Congress in fiscal year 2016, CDC is making transformative improvements to the nation’s ability to further identify and respond to new and known drug resistance threats, including C. auris:

CDC is enhancing national infrastructure in 50 states, five major cities/territories, and seven regions to ensure rapid identification and containment of resistant pathogens and mechanism threats, including C. auris, across all healthcare settings.

Regional labs in the CDC AR Lab Network will test for and support response to new forms of Candida resistance in the United States.

CDC is enhancing tracking of Candida to better understand the yeast through the Emerging Infections Program.

CDC has made C. auris samples available through the CDC AR Isolate Bank to further assist diagnostic labs to calibrate, or standardize, their diagnostic tests so they

A strain of C. auris cultured in a petri dish at CDC.

can accurately identify and characterize this emerging threat. These samples can also assist industry in their work toward innovation for preventing resistant infections like C. auris.

Learn more about how CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance Solutions Initiative is transforming the nation’s capacity to further detect, contain, and prevent drug resistant threats like C. auris.

Learn More CDC's C. auris website CDC's antifungal resistance website CDC's drug resistance website

May 17, 2017

Webinar: What CBOs Need to Know: Managed Long Term

Services and Supports

The mission of a community-based organization is rooted in supporting people with disabilities and/or older adults to have vibrant and meaningful lives in their community. Part of fulfilling that mission is staying up to date on efforts to move toward greater integrated health care, primarily through Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS).

Learn more about the basics of what a MLTSS program is and how community-based organizations, states, and the health plans responsible for the management of the long-term services and supports can work together.

Please join the Disability Network Business Acumen Resource Center on May 24 at 12:30 – 1:30 PM Eastern for a one hour webinar: What CBOs Need to Know: Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS).

Learning objectives:

Understand what managed care is;

Review federal authorities and rules governing MLTSS; and

Describe how community-based organizations, states, and

health plans can work together.

Register for the webinar.

***

Learn more about ACL's Business Acumen initiative to help states and community-based organizations build networks and

respond to delivery system changes, including technical assistance, building business capacity for successful contracting with integrated care entities, and developing pathways to sustainability.

May 19, 2017

CMS Announces Extension for States Under Medicaid Home-

and Community-Based Settings Rule

In case you missed it, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced a three-year extension for state Medicaid programs to meet the Home- and Community-Based (HCBS) settings requirements for settings operating before March 17, 2017. States now have until March 17, 2022, to demonstrate compliance for the final rule. See the announcement from CMS.

This extension is in response to states' request for more time to demonstrate compliance with the regulatory requirements and ensure compliance activities are collaborative, transparent, and timely.

For more information, please visit: http://www.medicaid.gov/Federal-Policy-Guidance/Federal-Policy-Guidance.html.

Link to DARS Independent Living Weekly Newsletter

Rhonda Jeter, MS, CRC, Director of Independent Living

Past issues of IL Weekly News Notes are posted on the DARS IL Public Forms

Cabinet: https://www.vadars.org/formscabinet/Formscabinet.asp?pass=et1&t1=CIL&pg=