'The Advocate' Resident Advocate Newsletter, April 2007, Vol. 9

This tool of communication between the 2,500 members of the Resident Advocate Committee (RAC) Program and the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman is used to keep all volunteers informed of their roles and responsibilities as they carry out the duties of a resident advocate. The Advocate is provided to Resident Advocates on a quarterly basis.

'The Advocate' Resident Advocate Newsletter, July 2007, Vol. 10

This tool of communication between the 2,500 members of the Resident Advocate Committee (RAC) Program and the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman is used to keep all volunteers informed of their roles and responsibilities as they carry out the duties of a resident advocate. The Advocate is provided to Resident Advocates on a quarterly basis.

'The Advocate' Resident Advocate Newsletter, October 2007, Vol. 11

This tool of communication between the 2,500 members of the Resident Advocate Committee (RAC) Program and the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman is used to keep all volunteers informed of their roles and responsibilities as they carry out the duties of a resident advocate. The Advocate is provided to Resident Advocates on a quarterly basis.

'The Advocate' Resident Advocate Newsletter, Janary 2008, Vol. 12

This tool of communication between the 2,500 members of the Resident Advocate Committee (RAC) Program and the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman is used to keep all volunteers informed of their roles and responsibilities as they carry out the duties of a resident advocate. The Advocate is provided to Resident Advocates Committee members and long-term care facilities on a quarterly basis.

'The Advocate' Resident Advocate Newsletter, July 2008, Vol. 14.

This tool of communication between the 2,500 members of the Resident Advocate Committee (RAC) Program and the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman is used to keep all volunteers informed of their roles and responsibilities as they carry out the duties of a resident advocate. The Advocate is provided to Resident Advocates on a quarterly basis.

'The Advocate' Resident Advocate Newsletter, April 2008, Vol. 13.

This tool of communication between the 2,500 members of the Resident Advocate Committee (RAC) Program and the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman is used to keep all volunteers informed of their roles and responsibilities as they carry out the duties of a resident advocate. The Advocate is provided to Resident Advocates on a quarterly basis.

'The Advocate' Resident Advocate Newsletter, October 2008, Vol. 15

This tool of communication between the 2,500 members of the Resident Advocate Committee (RAC) Program and the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman is used to keep all volunteers informed of their roles and responsibilities as they carry out the duties of a resident advocate. The Advocate is provided to Resident Advocates on a quarterly basis.

'The Advocate' Resident Advocate Newsletter, January 2009, Vol. 16

This tool of communication between the 2,500 members of the Resident Advocate Committee (RAC) Program and the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman is used to keep all volunteers informed of their roles and responsibilities as they carry out the duties of a resident advocate. The Advocate is provided to Resident Advocates on a quarterly basis.

Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Annual Report 2008, January 2009

The State Long-Term Care Ombudsman program operates as a unit within the Iowa Department of Elder Affairs. Duties of all long-term care ombudsmen are mandated by the Older Americans Act. This office serves people living in nursing facilities, skilled nursing facilities, residential care facilities, nursing facilities in hospitals, elder group homes and assisted living programs. The long-term care system in Iowa has changed significantly over the past 10 years. Local long-term care ombudsman programs in Iowa are now well established. Iowa still ranks near the bottom of 53 ombudsman programs in the nation for ratio of paid staff to residents with one ombudsman for each 7,400 residents compared to the national average of one ombudsman for each 2,174 residents. The Resident Advocate Committee Program remains stable at 2400 volunteers and Iowa continues to be the only state in the nation with this type of program. Because volunteers do not receive training as required by the Administration on Aging, volunteers are not certified volunteer ombudsmen and the work done by these volunteers cannot be included in Iowa’s annual federal reports. With the changing population living in long-term care facilities, this volunteer job is much more challenging than in the past. Helping to build a long-term care system in Iowa that provides individualized, person-directed quality care is the long-term goal for this office.

'The Advocate' Resident Advocate Newsletter, April 2009, Vol. 17

This tool of communication between the 2,500 members of the Resident Advocate Committee (RAC) Program and the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman is used to keep all volunteers informed of their roles and responsibilities as they carry out the duties of a resident advocate. The Advocate is provided to Resident Advocates on a quarterly basis.

Governor's Task Force on Dependent Adults with Mental Retardation Final Report, 2009

On February 17, 2009, Governor Culver signed Executive Order No. 11 to create a Task Force on Dependent Adults with Mental Retardation. The executive order charges the Task Force with the responsibility of recommending steps to strengthen and improve state laws and regulations on the care and treatment of dependent adults with mental retardation. The Final Report includes recommendations that establish or improve systems of coordination between government entities. The report includes a series of proposals from the Department of Human Services (DHS) that redesign the adult abuse assessment process that are necessary for long-term reform. Included in them is a proposal to enhance a community’s capacity to provide a safety net of services, as well as formal and informal supports for vulnerable adults through partnerships among multiple local stakeholders.

'The Advocate' Resident Advocate Newsletter, July 2009, Vol. 18.

This tool of communication between the 2,500 members of the Resident Advocate Committee (RAC) Program and the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman is used to keep all volunteers informed of their roles and responsibilities as they carry out the duties of a resident advocate. The Advocate is provided to Resident Advocates on a quarterly basis.

The Advocate Newsletter, October 2009, Vol. 19.

This tool of communication between the 2,300 members of the Resident Advocate Committee (RAC) Program and the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman is used to keep all volunteers informed of their roles and responsibilities as they carry out the duties of a resident advocate. The Advocate is provided to Resident Advocates on a quarterly basis.

Iowa Department on Aging Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Annual Report 2009, (Federal Fiscal Year October 1, 2008 through September 30, 2009), January 2010.

The State Long-Term Care Ombudsman program operates as a unit within the Iowa Department on Aging. Duties of all long-term care ombudsmen are mandated by the Older Americans Act. This office serves people living in nursing facilities, skilled nursing facilities, residential care facilities, nursing facilities in hospitals, elder group homes and assisted living programs. In order to carry out all of the mandates of the Older Americans Act this office recommends to increase the number of staff and create a volunteer ombudsman program. NOTE: The second file includes a correction to the report on page 8.

Alternatives to Guardianship and Conservatorship for Adults in Iowa, Revised 2006

Independence, respect, and equality are values important to all people. These values help define the concepts of autonomy (independence and freedom) and self-determination (the right to make decisions for one’s self). Because these rights are so valued in our society and are something that most of us would value for ourselves, the “least restrictive alternative” should always be considered before taking away a person’s civil and legal rights to make decisions for him or herself. The least restrictive alternative is an option, which allows a person to keep as much autonomy, and self-determination as possible while providing only the level of protection and supervision that is necessary. Some examples may include: representative payee for certain government benefit checks, joint bank accounts or advance directives for health care.