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1 700 Hanover Drive Concord, NC 28027 January 16, 2009 Subject: Cabarrus Community Advisory Committee Dear Cabarrus County Commissioners, I am writing to you as a member of the Adult Care Home CAC whose term is due to expire February 28`h. I am requesting that I riot be reappointed to this committee. In my honest opinion, I feel that I am not able to make a difference, for the better, in the living conditions of residents residing in adult care homes in Cabarrus County. In my four years on the CAC, I have served on both the nursing home and adult care home committees visiting every facility in Cabarrus County. I will always treasure my friendships that I have made with fellow committee members as well as meeting so many facility residents. Having served on the committee, I feel that I was able to make an informed decision on which nursing facility to place my mother after a fall and hospitalization. Afacility is only as good as the administrator and the staff at any given time. I question my ability to be an effective advocate for residents living in adult care facilities when I don't seem to be able to effect change in living conditions for my mother. My problems are not life threatening but certainly deal with quality of life. I refuse to give residents false hope and the thing that I hate most is residents are afraid of retaliation if they complain. Retaliation is real and does exist. It may be as simple as being ignored by staff or as severe as you might imagine. I would like to see each commissioner visit facilities either with a CAC member or alone. While in a facility, use your eyes, ears, and sense of smell. When you are in a resident's room, watch to see if there are any staff members lurking just outside just outside the door, listening to what a resident might say. Ask nursing home residents if their call bells are answered in a timely manner. Listen for alarms that are going off in rooms or on wheel chairs. Alarms are in place to protect residents from falls but left unanswered they serve no true purpose. Truly look and observe residents, are they clean or soiled. If they are wet, it might be that they have not been taken to the bathroom since they were dressed for the day. Some residents are dependent on staff for their every need. One last request of the Commissioners would be to require Cabarrus appointees be trained by the Ombudsman locally and not require the appointee to drive to Charlotte two days in a row for their initial training. Many CAC appointees are not comfortable driving in Charlotte traffic. I understand that this is a State mandated committee and perhaps it should be reevaluated for it's effectiveness. If I may answer any questions regarding my time serving as a CAC member, please feel free to call. Respectfully, Barbara Blackmore 704-788-1755 H-1 Attachment number 1 1 L i L: i~ L ~~ i l 4~ n C G Page 264 of 286