AALNA Represents Assisted Living Nurses at U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Assisted Living Roundtable

摘要

On March 15, 2011, the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging hosted a roundtable meeting entitled "Assisted Living at the Dawn of America's Age 'Wave': What Have States Achieved and How Is the Federal Role Evolving?" The roundtable panel included representatives of state regulatory and licensing agencies; federal officials from CMS, HHS, and HUD; industry representatives; and advocates. As evidence of the critical role nurses play in shaping the future of assisted living, American Assisted Living Nurses Association (AALNA) was invited to participate on the distinguished panel of experts.After opening remarks from the committee chairman, Senator Herb Kohl, and ranking member Senator Bob Corker, the 3-hour roundtable discussion focused on three primary areas: quality and oversight; affordability and reimbursement; and access and discharge issues. As the conversation around these broad topic areas evolved, a number of issues relevant to assisted living nursing were addressed by various panelists, including the role of nurse delegation, the use of medication aides, staff training, and levels of care.