Advocates for Better Care in Rhode Island

Hospital dumping in RI displaces LTC residents from their homes, wastes overextended hospital resources, and violates state and federal regulations, but continues unabated.

www.providencejournal.com/story/news/h...

YouTube video by Gray Panthers NYC 07.28.25, Partners in Caregiving with Lori Porter and Jenine Ferrari

Lori Porter is 🔥🔥🔥
Must watch for anyone involved in #LongTermCare as consumer, provider, regulator, or advocate.

youtu.be/ht12lUijiBQ

Resident councils give people a voice and a sense of power. They help improve meals, shape activity calendars, and create space for shared solutions.

Ask your facility about starting or joining one of these groups.

#RISLTCOP #ResidentVoices #LTCLeadership #CommunityInCare #RhodeIslandElders

Following my visit, RIDOH & the fire marshal each conducted inspections with no citations identified. 8/x

I told them that there was a resident sleeping upstairs, cna sent another staff to go get him & tell him “it was almost time for supper & a smoke.” 7/x

Back on 1st floor, I asked a staff how R’s are meant to get downstairs when there's no staff to let them out, & she said they're supposed to use the intercom on the phone to call for someone. I asked if all R’s had a dementia diagnosis: yes. I asked if all R’s were downstairs currently: yes 6/x

No answer. I called the1st number back & staff member said she'd call them. ~5 minutes later someone came & let me out. He explained he hadn't heard the intercom because he had music too loud on his headphones, which he wore the whole time I was there. whole process was about 15 minutes. 5/x

Phone on the wall in hall, & 1 button said intercom, so I pressed it, heard voices, called hello a few times, got no response. Tried pressing other buttons--1 said nurse station, but got busy signals. Called the main number from my phone & the staff who answered told me to call another number. 4/x

Noted precarious-looking extension cords & a smoke alarm at end of the hall was beeping.
At either end of the hall was a locked door to a stairwell with a bell to ring to be let out. Continued pressure did not release the lock. Neither bell worked. 3/x

Doors to stairwells & exits were locked & could only be opened with a fob, so a staff member let me into the stairwell & told me to ring the bell on the 2nd floor. No bell on the 2nd floor, so I got someone else passing through to open door. No staff on 2nd floor, & 1 resident, asleep in bed. 2/x

In the wake of the tragic events at the assisted living in Fall River, I am reminded of a visit I made to a dementia care #assistedliving in RI in 2024. What follows are excerpts of my notes from that visit. 1/x

Prior to 2017 they were required to be inspected annually. Statute dictates that “Every person or corporation who shall willfully and continually violate the provisions of this chapter will be subject to a fine of not less than $300 nor more than $2,000 for each violation of this section.”

RI #assistedliving facilities are inspected every two years. Per RIDOH policy, they NEVER have fines levied for deficiencies. @mackdistrict6.bsky.social @davidmoralesri.bsky.social

Official state holiday in RI as of 2024, thanks to @mackdistrict6.bsky.social and Rep Brianna Henries ❤️

The tragic murders/shootings of legislators and their spouses in Minnesota is also a reminder of the incredible courage it takes for our RI legislators to stand up every day for what they and their constituents believe in. 💙

See you all same time next Saturday? And the next? Until our democracy is safe?

Sign on to urge your state legislators: protect affordable healthcare by passing the RI Individual Marketplace Affordability Act!

The Long Term Care Ombudsman Program is here to help LTC residents and their carepartners! Register now and join on Zoom tonight, 6/10.

Unconscionable. State and federal regulations prohibit this, but it’s shockingly common.

Report: 366K+ Rhode Islanders would be impacted by proposed Medicaid cuts The Protect Our Healthcare RI, which is a coalition of consumer and nonprofit organizations, unveiled a new factbook report Friday that stresses the importance of federal and state Medicaid spendin…

A new factbook from Protect Our Healthcare RI highlights the significant impact the president's proposed Medicaid cuts would have on Rhode Islanders, one in three of whom rely on the service for health care.

Resident and family councils provide spaces where all residents can feel comfortable sharing concerns. H5169/H5170 and S484/S787 protect residents’ and families’ rights to form and sustain councils. bit.ly/alre-abcri

With Medicaid, Vincent was able to Thrive After Brain Surgery “Medicaid matters; it gives me the ability to live in my community and provides the assistance I need to be independent.”

Read Vincent's story, he is just one of millions of Americans for whom Medicaid is critical to their well being. protecthealthri.org/news/with-me...
#ProtectMedicaid #handsoffourmedicaid

All 2025 bills sponsored by Senators who voted for Pearson

Herewith all of the pending bills sponsored by the senators who supported #ryanpearson for RI Senate president.
So grateful to live in a state where these bills can still be judged and passed on their merits! bit.ly/risenate25

‘You sacrifice your life’: Home health care workers are demanding better pay. Cuts to Medicaid could stand in their way. - The Boston Globe Cuts to Medicaid would have profound effects on the 4.5 million home-based patients nationally for whom health care workers are a lifeline.

NEW: ‘You sacrifice your life’

Home health care workers are demanding better pay in Rhode Island, and beyond. But proposed cuts to Medicaid could stand in their way.

@bostonglobe.com @globeri.bsky.social

Read more: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/04/29/m...

It's Tax Day! Tax Day means...it's time for everyone to pay their fair share! Let's pass Sen. Murray and Rep. Alzate's bill to tax the richest 1%, and let's pass my "Taylor Swift" mansion tax. We've got massive holes in the budget, and a fair tax code is the first step towards fixing this.

Rhode Island's nursing home residents would suffer if Congress cuts Medicaid, Magaziner says • Rhode Island Current Critics of the House GOP budget resolution, including Rep. Seth Magaziner, say potential cuts to Medicaid would harm nursing home patients

Every long term care residence needs a resident council leader like Greg Strong.

rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/02/28/r...

Billionaires wantonly stealing from the most vulnerable.

Federal threats to Medicaid will be a major discussion point at this event. More than 300,000 Rhode Islanders rely on Medicaid for critical healthcare coverage. These include 29,000 seniors, 39,000 people with disabilities & 87,000 children.

cc: @protectrihealth.bsky.social

@whitehouse.senate.gov is holding a Virtual Town Hall on Wednesday,February 19 at 8PM

All RI'ers should attend, and ANYONE else who wants to know what the hell is up in the Senate

@indivisibleri.bsky.social
@indivisible.org

gmail.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?...

Opinion | Your Parents Deserve More From Their Nursing Home (Gift Article) New rules requiring increased staffing and care are under attack.

www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/o...