Q: What should providers know about trauma-informed care?
A: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is asking for policies that are “culturally competent and trauma-informed” by Nov. 2019. Given all of the other requirements for Phase 3, there may be a tendency to view this information purely from a compliance perspective. It’s worth the investment and time to think about it more persuasively.
Q: Besides acknowledging that providers are not counseling centers, what are some solutions?
A: In addition to identifying mental health resources when needed, creating environments that are sensitive to, and respectful of, trauma-related issues goes a long way toward creating safety for staff and residents. We don’t necessarily need to know much about the trauma to guess when people aren’t feeling safe.
Q: What is LeadingAge doing?
A:We’re engaged with research folks at LeadingAge to build an evidence base. LeadingAge Maryland also is producing toolkits to help providers understand and implement trauma-informed care. Since creating trauma-informed environments for older adults is still relatively new, we also are working with the LeadingAge LTSS Center @ UMass. Boston to build a greater evidence base.
From the December 2018 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
