VOICE OF TRUTH IN NURSING HOMES

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Hosts: Bob and Sam Kukich

are both Army Veterans and retired professionals who jointly run Dignity for the Aged, an organization that helps provide resources to residents and family members. Their goal is to share valuable information with the many advocates, family members and residents currently living in Long Term Care Facilities. We want to educate and empower the public before they need care and prevent the abuse, neglect and death that is occurring due to understaffing. Our ultimate goal is to get the public engaged so they can encourage our legislators in all 50 states to pass a bill so our loved ones can get the necessary care and dignity they were promised and deserve.

April 12, 2023 Show

Susan Johnson, Vice President

Susan Johnson has worked as a registered nurse in Oklahoma for 16 years, and her work history spans over 20 years. Her experience includes various positions from CNA to Director of Nursing. At 8 years old she remembers telling her mother, “Someday I want to work in a nursing home." She believes nursing home conditions are the true silent pandemic and the long-existing problems of greed, diversion of funds, fraudulent billing, misappropriation of resident funds, neglect, and abuse occur daily in nursing homes. For many years Sue has witnessed abuse and neglect inside various facilities. In 2015 she joined A Perfect Cause, and became the Vice President in 2022.

www.dropbox.com/s/ziiom9pug62oq9i/NursingHomeFraudArticlecopy.docx?dl=0

March 8, 2023 Show

Ms. Cecelia Smith

has been working in the Healthcare field for over 20 years. She began as a teacher’s aide, in a Life Skills classroom for elementary and middle schools. She advanced to become a Certified Nurse’s Assistant, and currently she serves as a Qualified Medication Assistant or QMA. She believes that for the most part, residents are not seen as people in facilities. Most facilities are definitely understaffed; however, the work environment is lacking in leadership, and much of the hired staff are not qualified and spend most of their time on tictoc videos rather than caring for residents. Her dedication and courage to caring for the helpless is a bright light in a dark Nursing Home industry for residents who receive her care. We need more like her.

February 8, 2023 Show

Tonight's show is hosted by both Sam and Bob Kukich

They want to share with you some ideas that will help you reach out to your local nursing homes and let the residents know people care. Our ultimate goal is to get the public engaged in ways that are simple and make a big "heart" difference.

October 19, 2022 Show

Special Guest: Ken Nolan

Meet Mr. Ken Noland. He and his wife Romona moved to a faith based nonprofit 40-acre campus beautifully landscaped in a secluded residential neighborhood that offers walking and cycling paths and a delightful garden that is tilled and harvested by the residents. He is currently living in the independent high end living cottage area, however his observation of the healthcare at his upper level facility forced him to choose to call 911 and go to a hospital rather than the healthcare the facility provides. Several children were included in the interview which demonstrates that laughter is a good medicine no matter what your age.

	October 12, 2022 Show Residents Rights Month Residents Rights Month is celebrated each October and is designated by the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care each year to highlight residents living in all long-term care setting. It is a time to reflect on the importance of the Nursing Home Reform Law of 1987 that promises quality of life, quality of care and rights for each resident. Long-time nursing home resident Jeremiah Manson shares his horrible experiences (so far).
	September 28, 2022 Show Mr. Jeremiah Manson Our guest tonight is Mr. Jeremiah Manson, who lives in a facility in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is also my friend that I have known through Dignity for the Aged, for almost two years, so he is part of our team of advocates as well. Jeremiah has opened his door tonight for our listeners to hear what he experiences daily,with no filter and a whole lot of in-your-face truth of what really occurs in nursing homes.
	September 21, 2022 Show Sharing Knowledge and Experiences This show is about sharing knowledge and experiences and the Dignity web page is about sharing resources and information. Tonight show is about all of that and more importantly it is about you taking time, really taking time to get away from the madness and taking in some fresh air. You don’t have to necessarily fly away to Minnesota like I did, but you do need to find a place for yourself, where you leave all that advocacy stuff outside and clear your mind and just be you again.
	September 14, 2022 Show Certified Nursing Assistants Certified Nursing Assistants are the back bone of nursing homes and they are becoming extinct. Why is there a staffing shortage and what can we do about it? Why are they leaving the field and how can we encourage them to stay. Why don't we pay them more than $10 an hour. What kinds of things to they do? Our elderly deserve better, and so do the staff who care for them, thousands of our tax dollars are being wasted, this needs to stop Private Equity Companies from taking over. The staff who have a heart for this job are leaving the field and we should be ashamed that we won’t treat them as professionals and pay them a decent wage.
	September 7, 2022 Show Saundra Hale Saundra Hale was named the Delaware Long-Term Care Ombudsman in September 2021. In this capacity, she heads the Delaware Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, in which staff and volunteers work daily to promote residents’ rights, assist residents with complaints and provide training and consultation to staff and stakeholders in resident advocacy. Prior to being appointed the State Ombudsman, Ms. Hale served as the Program Administrator for the Division of Developmental Disabilities. In this position, she provided oversight of complaints related to abuse and neglect and implemented policy change to promote better oversight of vulnerable populations and improve systematic processes in response to abuse and neglect complaints.
	August 31, 2022 Show Eleanor Drewniak Eleanor Drewniak is a professional who retired from a position as Director of a Domestic Violence Program. She lived in England for 4 years and had four professions in her 72 years. However, by far the most challenging position she has had is selecting a nursing home for both of her parents. Our talk with Eleanor will allow you to understand the issues that can come up when you have a loved one in a Nursing Home. We have information to share that will help you “Know Before You Go” that will save you some heartache and provide some valuable information to keep your loved one safe.
	August 22, 2022 Show Mr. Andy Jackson, Director of Professionals Verifying Nursing Homes. Consider us the watch dog for your loved one because we work for you. Andy and his wife Kim are healthcare workers who stress the importance of being extremely informed of the nursing homes in all departments. Our experts in housekeeping to owners are coming forward to answers your questions and give you the information and tools to protect your loved ones in the nursing home so you can make an informed decision of the best facility to place your loved one in. We will be working directly with the government and families to redo some of the regulations to put the resident first. and to do a Medicaid audit in Maryland to show exactly where the monies should go and bring back the heart of this wonderful industry.