CALA News & Views | Issue 51 | Impact

In January, the Administrator Certification Bureau (ACB) launched an online portal for renewing administrator certificates. At CALA’s urging, CALA staff and CALA members, in addition to other stakeholders, had the opportunity to beta test the portal prior to launch and provide feedback to help refine the system. CALA staff and members provided additional feedback that helped ensure easy and accurate counting of total uploaded Continuing Education Units (CEUs), expanded payment options and generation of a receipt after payment is made. It is also now possible to access and print certificates using a cell phone when accessing the portal using a cell phone. ACB recently announced they are fully staffed and have essentially doubled their staff since January. They have been able to get their processing time down to six months, which is significant progress towards their goal of processing new and renewal certificates within three months of receipt. The next phase includes launching an online portal for new administrators, including registration and payment for the administrator exam and submission and payment for the initial administrator certification application. UPDATING DEMENTIA REGULATIONS Updates to the dementia care regulations have been in the works for several years. CALA has been part of previous DSS stakeholder groups to discuss overarching goals for ensuring residents with dementia can age in place to the extent possible in the least restrictive environment. DSS released two drafts of the updated regulations and CALA provided robust comments each time. Thank you to the CALA members who served on the dementia regulations workgroup and helped review the draft regulations and CALA’s comments. CALA is working to ensure that while the focus of these regulations is to enhance the experience for those with dementia, that they don’t end up creating unnecessarily restrictive environments for residents without dementia. DSS has confirmed with CALA that the intent of the regulations and implementation will be resident-centered and focus on ensuring the resident is not a danger to themselves or others due to behavioral expressions or access to toxic substances, medications, sharp objects, etc., not restricting other residents. DSS plans to create implementation guidance, Frequently Asked Questions, host webinars, train LPAs and develop other information to further clarify the new regulations and help licensees and LPAs understand the new regulations. At CALA’s

request, DSS will share these implementation tools with stakeholders prior to release to review and provide feedback. The regulations were finalized in October and will become effective on Jan. 1, 2025. CALA is hosting an initial webinar on Dec. 10 to help members understand how the new regulations will impact care of residents with cognitive impairment and how to comply. Participants will receive one CEU and there will time for questions and answers. Interested members can register here. As part of the dementia care regulatory update, CALA has updated our Antipsychotics: A Step-by-Step Guide for Tracking and Reducing Use . The guide helps members quantify and track the number of residents living with dementia within their communities that have orders for antipsychotic medications and to reduce their use. The guide provides a sample worksheet to track usage, two sample charts to track and monitor resident behavioral expressions, information to help address and educate residents’ families and prescribers on the issue, and information from a variety of sources to help RCFE providers look for ways to reduce the unnecessary use of antipsychotic medications by their residents. Access the toolkit from CALA’s Medication Management webpage. The question of when to call 911 remains a priority for CALA. Current regulations have been interpreted as mandating the inappropriate use of the 911 system outside of its intended purpose to provide medical care in life-threatening emergency situations. Due to the ambiguous regulatory requirements, some local jurisdictions have imposed fines on RCFEs they deem to be needlessly or excessively using the 911 system. CALA continues to ensure this issue is not forgotten by DSS and that the regulations are updated as soon as possible. At CALA’s urging, DSS is working on a PIN to provide additional clarity to licensees for when there may be other appropriate ways to obtain medical attention for non-life-threatening circumstances. CALA has also created talking points to help members engage with emergency responders and educate them on current regulatory requirements. For a copy of the talking points, email Selena Coppi Hornback. CALA will continue to promote efforts that enable members to deliver high quality, resident-centered care, expand access and choice for older adults, and improve the operating environment. Stay tuned for more. WORKING TOWARD CLARITY FOR 9-1-1 CALLS

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