“Coming into this course, I didn’t fully understand how policy and nursing intertwined,” says Laura Vergenz, BSN, RN. Now, she sees “how engaging in advocacy, whether at the local, state, national, or international level, is part of our role as nurses. … Advocacy leverages the nursing perspective to support healthy systems and healthy communities.” Vergenz …
Following the tragic impact of the ongoing COVID pandemic on nursing home residents and staff, is there new momentum for reform? Some signs point to yes. In February 2022, the White House outlined actions through the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The measures would establish minimum staffing levels for nursing homes, encourage …
Compared to a decade ago, there’s greater awareness, more reporting and stronger laws in place to address the financial exploitation of older adults. The issue was not even recognized for many years, says Kevin Hansen, PhD, JD, LLM. “The first people we protected were animals, actually,” says Hansen, an assistant professor with the Health Care …