Addressing Concerns About Retaliation

Retaliation, and the fear of retaliation, can prevent residents and family members from raising their concerns about care and safety. It also has a chilling effect on the reporting of abuse or neglect in long-term care facilities, leaving many living in fear and without relief from harm. Retaliation can range from very subtle to obvious actions and it may be difficult to determine whether staff are retaliating or if a resident’s needs are not being met for another reason, such as understaffing. Retaliation is never acceptable; it is a violation of the resident's rights. In this episode, join us for a conversation with an Ombudsman, a long-term care resident, and a gerontologist as we discuss how to identify retaliation, action steps to take when it does occur, and how to advocate to prevent retaliation from happening in the future. Guests: Tasha Erskine-Jackson, Regional Ombudsman, Connecticut Aging and Disability Services; Jeanette Martinez, Connecticut Long-Term Care Resident; and Eilon Caspi, Gerontologist and Dementia Behavior Specialist