New Issue Brief from Justice in Aging

Justice in Aging (formerly the National Senior Citizens Law Center) has released an issue brief, How California’s Assisted Living System Falls Short In Addressing Resident’s Health Care Needs The Problem: Pretending that Medication Is Always “Self- Administered”  According to the brief, the issue of safe medication administration has

been overlooked for decades. “Assistance with self-administration” is too often a code word for medication administration by a poorly-trained non-nurse. As explained above, other states already have addressed this issue. California has not, due to factors such as the no-health-care orientation of California’s assisted living law, and important concerns about changing state laws related to nurses’ scope of practice. Stakeholders (including nursing representatives) should work together to consider the options to improve medication administration in assisted living. DSS to its credit has taken initial steps to work with stakeholders to identify problems and solutions related to the current RCFE system.

The issue brief is the first in a series to be released by Justice in Aging. More information about Justice in Aging is available here.