The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently issued a Survey and Certification Tool, with an introduction by Secretary Greenlee of the Administration for Community Living (ACL) within the Department of Health and Human Services. The focus of the video learning modules is to provide useful information to long-term care facility staff about the power of assumptions and prejudices, both known and unknown, that may make older LGBT people feel fearful and afraid, so that such fears won't cause older LGBT patients to retreat to a “closeted lifestyle” in order to receive necessary long-term care services.
The modules make it clear that everyone who works with older people should look at their own conduct, review the language they use and evaluate how they set up their offices and facilities to provide welcome to LGBT people. The goal of the modules is to provide concrete examples of conduct that either show openness, tolerance, acceptance, or prejudice. Each of the modules sets out a set of facts and provides illustrative examples, followed by a short learning test to help staff focus their mastery of module content.
The modules can be found at: http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment-and-Certification/SurveyCertificationGenInfo/Downloads/Survey-and-Cert-Letter-14-42.pdf.