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Adult Abuse Prevention Program Gains National Recognition

bentsens@michigan.gov

For Immediate Release:  October 10, 2011

  

 LANSING - The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) recently announced its endorsement of Michigan's Adult Abuse and Neglect Prevention Training Program as a national model for use by nursing facilities in training nurse aides.

 

The Michigan Office of Services to the Aging (OSA) developed the program with a $1.5 million federal CMS grant, in partnership with the PHI organization, the BEAM organization, Michigan State University, and a host of statewide experts.

 

"It's an honor to have our program touted by the federal government for use throughout the country," said Kari Sederburg, Director of the OSA. "More than 7,800 direct access workers throughout the state have been trained, 92 percent of whom reported a dramatic increase in their ability to recognize adult abuse and neglect in the course of their work."

 

The Affordable Care Act signed into law last year requires nursing facilities to adequately prepare nurse aides on prevention of abuse and care of persons with dementia. Nurse aides are among the thousands of direct care workers on the front line of providing long term supports and services throughout the country.

 

 What makes Michigan's training program unique is its focus on abuse prevention through a person-centered approach to care, rather than solely on the traditional focus of abuse detection and reporting. The program also empowers nurse aides and other direct access care workers by giving them the tools needed to understand behavior and prevent an abusive situation from occurring.

 

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For more information contact the Office of Services to the Aging at (517) 373-8230 or visit  The Office of Services to the Aging is an agency of the State of Michigan whose mission is to provide leadership, innovation, advocacy, and policy on behalf of Michigan's older adults and their caregivers.www.michigan.gov/miseniors.