As we start this new year, the Long Term Care Community Coalition reflects on the meaningful progress we’ve made together to improve care and quality of life for residents in long-term care facilities. With your support, we’ve advocated for improvements in nursing home staffing and oversight, helped families successfully advocate for their loved ones in nursing homes and assisted living, promoted transparency and accountability, and much, much more! We are deeply grateful for the dedication and engagement of our community, which has helped us achieve so much this past year.

• LTCCC’s executive director Richard Mollot testified at a US Senate hearing about how the absence of any federal quality or safety standards, coupled with the virtual absence of reliable public information on the quality, safety, and costs of assisted living, have made assisted living a sector ripe for investment by sophisticated private enterprises. The result, too often, is that seniors are at risk for serious neglect, abuse, and financial exploitation.
• LTCCC submitted comments in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ proposed rule that established minimum staffing standards for long-term care facilities.
• LTCCC published a landmark study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, revealing critical findings about the role of medical directors in U.S. nursing homes. This study, Medical Director Presence and Time in U.S. Nursing Homes, 2017–2023, was a collaboration with the University of California, San Francisco, and the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine.

“Improving transparency, quality, and accountability in assisted living is not only a matter of public interest but a moral imperative. Now more than ever, federal action is needed to ensure that older Americans receive the care and support they deserve while fostering a system that promotes transparency and accountability within the industry.”

– Richard Mollot, US Senate Special Committee on Aging Hearing on Assisted Living Facilities

• Monthly Webinars: LTCCC’s monthly webinars addressed a range of important topics, including resident rights, transparency in nursing home industry spending and profits, disability rights and self-determination in long-term care settings, and the challenges facing long-term care facilities.
• Family Council Empowerment Programs: The family empowerment programs empowered families through a wide range of topics and expert speakers. By addressing key issues and providing actionable insights, these programs equipped family councils with the tools and knowledge needed to advocate effectively for improved care in nursing homes.
• Senior Care Policy Brief: The Policy Brief is a bi-monthly newsletter committed to keeping stakeholders abreast of the most recent policy developments influencing long-term care. We tracked regulatory shifts, legislative updates, news articles, and scholarly research to spotlight incongruities between the provider industry’s public narrative depicting financial challenges and its notably optimistic financial reports to stakeholders.
• Elder Justice Newsletter: The Elder Justice Newsletter covers citations for deficiencies related to abuse, neglect, and substandard care that are categorized as “no harm” violations, which typically result in no fines or penalties for nursing homes despite their impact on residents. We focused on nursing facilities run by Centers Health Care, a growing nursing home chain, which is facing mounting legal challenges amid allegations. We also focused on the injustices occurring in facilities that have received a one-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
• A Guide for Legislators and Elected Officials: LTCCC released a guide to support legislators and elected officials in their efforts to better assist their constituents during nursing home stays. This comprehensive guide aims to equip officials with essential knowledge and resources on navigating the challenges that so many individuals and families face when they need nursing home care.
• All Staff Matter Brief and Fact Sheets: The All Staff Matter Brief provides information and insights on the important responsibilities and duties of key non-nursing staff. The corresponding fact sheets provide user-friendly information on the relevant federal requirements for each position and recommendations for resident-centered advocacy.

• Staffing Data: LTCCC published quarterly reports that provide detailed staffing information for every nursing home in the country that is in compliance with federal staffing reporting requirements. These reports empower families and advocates to make more informed decisions and advocate for necessary improvements in staffing levels.
• Antipsychotic Drugging Rates: LTCCC’s data on antipsychotic drug use in nursing homes is a critical component of our advocacy for safe and appropriate care for residents. This data focuses on the misuse of antipsychotic medications, particularly among residents with dementia, a group for whom these drugs are not clinically indicated and can pose significant risks.
• Citations and Penalties: This data offers detailed information on health deficiencies issued to nursing homes, including the date of the citation, the category of citation (F-tag), and the level of scope and severity. LTCCC’s penalty data is instrumental for assessing the extent to which nursing homes are (or aren’t) held accountable.
• Provider Data: This comprehensive dataset contains info on five-star ratings, ownership status, health inspection outcomes, family council presence, and a whole lot more for all US nursing homes. We also provide a “Problem Facilities” dataset which lists the worst performing nursing homes. This is a useful resource for assessing nursing homes and making informed decisions about where to receive care.