'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.

First record of species of Liogenys (Coleoptera, Melolonthidae) associated with winter grain crops in Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil)

First record of species of Liogenys (Coleoptera, Melolonthidae) associated with winter crops in Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). Some species of Liogenys Guerín-Meneville, 1831 are known to cause damage to soybean, corn and other summer crops in the Brazilian "Cerrado" region. This work aimed to identify melolontid larvae associated with winter crops in Rio Grande do Sul state. Larvae and adults of Liogenys species were collected from the municipalities of Ijuí, Cruz Alta, Manoel Viana, São Luiz Gonzaga and São Francisco de Assis. The specimens were identified as L. bidenticeps Moser, 1919; L. fusca Blanchard, 1851, L. obesa Burmeister, 1855, and L. sinuaticeps Moser, 1918. This is the first record of these species associated with winter grain crops, for Rio Grande do Sul State. Biological and behavioral studies are necessary to confirm their association with host plants.

'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.

White grubs (Coleoptera, Melolonthidae) in the "Planalto Region", Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil: Key for identification, species richness and distribution

White grubs (Coleoptera, Melolonthidae) in the "Planalto Region", Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil: Key for identification, species richness and distribution. The objective of this study was to survey the occurrence and geographic distribution of white grub species (Coleoptera, Melolonthidae) in cultivated and non-cultivated fields of the "Planalto Region", Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil and develop a key at genus-level. Twenty-eight species from 15 genera and three subfamilies were recorded: Dynastinae, Melolonthinae and Rutelinae. The species or genera recorded for the first time in the state are: Cyclocephala metrica, C. tucumana, Isonychus albicinctus, Liogenys bidenticeps, L. fusca, L. obesa and L. sinuaticeps, Paranomala violacea, as well as unidentified species of Amononyx, Dicrania, Leucothyreus, Macrodactylus, Plectris and Rhizogeniates. Among the species recorded, 23 were associated with winter crops. Only Cyclocephala metrica, Dyscinetus rugifrons, two species of Leucothyreus and one species of the tribe Sericini were not present in cultivated crop fields. Cyclocephala flavipennis and Diloboderus abderus occurred in most of the municipalities sampled, often associated with Plectris sp., C. modesta and C. putrida. The highest richness of melolonthids was concentrated in the northeast of the Planalto region.

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.

Experiència dels excuidadors i excuidadores principals informals que han tingut cura d'un familiar vell amb demència després de la seva mort

El treball aquí exposat té com a objectiu conèixer i comprendre l’experiència dels excuidadors i excuidadores principals informals que han tingut cura d’un familiar vell amb demència després de la seva mort. Es plantegen les hipòtesis i els objectius generals i específics. S’hi exposa també, la justificació del tema, l’interès, la rellevància a nivell social i professional, i la seva aportació en el món de la salut. En l’apartat de l’estat de la qüestió i la fonamentació conceptual, després d’una revisió bibliogràfica sobre el tema, es descriuen els diferents apartats que formen part del marc teòric: perfil de la persona gran dement que rep cures informals , el perfil dels cuidadors/es, les conseqüències de tenir cura d’una persona dement, l’estat dels excuidadors/es després de la mort del familiar vell amb demència i el procés de dol. El segon apartat inclou la metodologia, i el mètode d’investigació. A més, inclou les matrius d’anàlisi del contingut i del discurs, i es plantegen els resultats en funció dels objectius marcats. En la discussió, a partir de les dades obtingudes, es realitza la seva anàlisi, s’interpreta el resultat i es contraposa amb altres estudis consultats. Finalment s’exposen les conclusions per resumir la informació obtinguda i la metodologia utilitzada. Es realitza una reflexió sobre els aprenentatges adquirits i les aportacions del treball i s’apunten noves vies de recerca. En les referències bibliogràfiques s’especifiquen les fonts consultades i en els annexos hi consten els models d’entrevista i de matriu per a l’anàlisi de dades, el full de consentiment informat i també el buidatge i l’anàlisi de les entrevistes.

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.

Power of Attorney Handbook, June 2006, revised

This booklet is designed to assist those who have been appointed as an attorney-in-fact, those who are considering the need for a power of attorney, or those who have an interest in the subject. This is a general overview of the laws governing powers of attorney and, like most general overviews it will apply in most situations, but not all. Small differences and individual circumstances can be very important in resolving legal problems and the general guidance provided by this booklet cannot take such differences into account. Keep in mind that the laws continually change and information in this booklet is not designed to take the place of legal counsel.

Beliefs & Values/What I Want & Do Not Want, 2006

A form produced by Elder Affairs about what a elderly person wants and does not want when close to death.

Case Management Program For Frail Elders Manual, August 2008

The purpose of this manual is to guide operation of the Case Management Program for Frail Elders. After Background, Program Administration, Definitions, Consumer Eligibility, and Program Standards, the order follows the flow of a consumer entering the pro-gram from referral through ongoing case activities. The manual is written assuming the reader is the Case Manager. The effective date will appear in the bottom left hand corner of each page. This manual will be updated as needed via Iowa Aging Program Instructions (IAPI). This manual is used in conjunction with the Department of Human Services’ manuals which provide more detail about policies and procedures within the Medicaid elderly waiver program.

Healthy Aging Update, December 2, 2005, Vol. 1, no. 1

This bimonthly electronic newsletter will provide information and resources on nutrition and health promotion and disease prevention. The Healthy Aging Update is produced for informal and educational purposes only. The newsletter will be distributed electronically and posted on the Department’s website at www.state.ia.us/elderaffairs.