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Our First Newsletter

New York City Long-Term Care Ethics Network Newsletter

September, 1994; Vol. 1, No. 1

WE ARE HERE

This first issue of the New York City Long-Term Care Ethics Network newsletter has been mailed to you because you hold a major position at one of New York City's Nursing Homes or Home Care Agencies. As professionals you are already struggling, as we have, with the multiple confusing, ethical issues which we face in long-term care. Many of these involve painful end-of- life decisions concerning frail elderly and demented residents or clients. Some involve attempts to comply with the wishes of families, the complexities of New York State law and the vagaries of Health Department bureaucrats. Many arise from the special relationships which we develop trying to deliver quality care in what is supposed to be someone's private space. The resident who refuses to bathe, the home care client whose cluttered apartment may be unsafe, the confused elder with trembling hands who insists on smoking, all represent special ethical dilemmas which don't seem to be addressed by ethics textbooks.

WHY AN ETHICS NETWORK

A telephone survey conducted by Frances Schervier's senior researcher, Dr. Louise Schmitt, of 129 nursing homes in the five boroughs of New York City, revealed an overwhelming interest in an Ethics Network. Almost all of the professionals contacted acknowledged their struggle with everyday ethical dilemmas and their desire to become more knowledgeable and informed.

To respond to these problems, a group of us have joined together to create an ethics "network" -- a loose alliance of existing ethics committees, committees in formation, and interested individuals. we hope that by sharing our information, our experiences, and even our questions, we can make this process easier for us all.

ADVISORY COMMITTEE FORMED

An initial Advisory Board has been created including representatives from institutions in all five boroughs, nonsectarian and religiously affiliated facilities from different faiths, as well as proprietary facilities.

The co-directors are Jeffrey Nichols, MD, Medical Director, and Paulette Sansone, DSW, Director of Social Service, at Frances Schervier Home and Hospital. The members are:

Dr. Eileen Chichin, Jewish Home and Hospital; Dr. Bart Collopy, Fordham University; Dr. Elaine Congress, Fordham University; Ms. Mary Devlin, Congregational Nursing Home; Dr. Jacob Dimant, Clove Lakes Nursing Home; Rabbi Simon Feld, Hebrew Home for the Aged; Ms. Patricia Krasnausky, Cabrini Nursing Home; Rabbi Lowell S. Kronick, Parker Jewish Geriatric Institute; Ms. Lenore Loskamp, Metropolitan Jewish Geriatric; Ms. Mary Morrissey, Bleakley, Platt, and Schmidt; Dr. Ellen Olson, Jewish Home and Hospital; Mr. Wayne Orlowitz, Bialystoker Nursing Home; The Rev. William Purdy, Village Nursing Home; Dr. Louise Schmitt, Frances Schervier Home and Hospital; Rabbi Harold Stern, Daughters of Jacob Geriatric Center; Ms. Connie Zuckerman, State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn.

Frances Schervier Home and Hospital has made some space and secretarial help available. The network will be initially coordinated from here. We do not expect the network to take positions on specific issues. We may all differ on the "right" answers to questions. But we could all benefit from knowing what other facilities are doing. Model policies and procedures--or a selection of different policies and procedures--are much easier than starting from scratch.

CONFERENCE PLANNED

Many of you are aware that the draft Surrogate Decision-Making legislation from the Governor's Committee on Life and Law, which was introduced and nearly passed the last session of the State Legislature, would require every long-term care facility to have an ethics committee. There is a high likelihood that legislation similar this will pass in the next session. Our experience and that of other facilities with ethics committees is that they are not easy to start and, once started, not easy to maintain. For this reason the Advisory Board had decided to hold a founding conference for the network on the topic "How to Start an Ethics Committee." The conference will be held December 8, 1994 at Fordham University's Graduate School of Social Service at Lincoln Center. Dr. Bart Collopy, renowned ethicist, will be the keynote speaker. Save that date!!! More information will follow.

Membership

You may be wondering what you have to do to join the network. Don't worry, you're already a member. While we will probably work towards a dues structure over the next few years, we hope to find outside sources of support as the network develops. Tri State Surgical Supply has generously provided funding for this initial conference and Fordham University has offered conference space at no cost.

A project like this needs the work of many hands. If you would like to hep with the conference please give us a call. If you would like to serve on the Advisory Board, please give us a call. If you just want to know more about it, why not give us a call? This network will succeed only if we all work together.

CALL US

718-548-1700 EXT 223

NETWORK CO-SPONSORING ETHICS CONFERENCE

The New York City Long-Term Care Ethics Network is co-sponsoring a conference on "Personal Autonomy for Nursing Home Residents: Ethical Conflicts and Avenues for Resolution." The conference will be held on Thursday, October 6, 1994 at 7:00 PM at the Great Hall, Association of the Bar of the City of New York, 42 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036.

Flyers are being sent to all the facilities on our mailing list so you should be receiving one soon. Please save the date!!!

LOGO AND NAME NEEDED

We need a logo for our Ethics Network and a name for our newsletter. If you have any creative ideas, please let us know. Our mailing address is:

2975 Independence Avenue Bronx, NY 10463

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