Printer
TextConsumer Consortium on Assisted Living
CCAL (www.ccal.org) is a national nonprofit organization founded in 1995
to provide an independent voice in support of assisted living consumers.
The three main goals of the organization are quality of care for all
residents; affordability for people with low and moderate incomes; and
the provision of education on how to choose an assisted living
facility.
CCAL provides information and referral to all stakeholders in the
assisted living industry: consumers, advocates, providers, government
officials, staff in facilities and professionals in related fields such
as geriatric care managers and elder law attorneys, as well as
journalists writing about the field. Their telephone help line receives
calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If CCAL can't answer a question
directly, they will find an answer or give the caller a referral.
Another important tool for informing consumers is the CCAL assisted
living checklist that helps consumers and families choose a facility that
will meet their needs. CCAL, in cooperation with the Northern Virginia
Long-term Care Ombudsman Program, produced a checklist that provides
dozens of questions to ask when visiting a facility about choice, safety,
staffing, activities, fees, contracts, and a host of other concerns.
Bimonthly regional meetings, an annual Best Practices in Dementia Care
Conference (co-sponsored with the Alzheimer's Association and the Greater
Washington Geriatric Education Center) and numerous other public
appearances serve to promote quality services and expand the dialogue
about creating assisted living opportunities that are affordable to low
and moderate income people.
A quarterly newsletter informs members about issues and events in the
assisted living field. This year CCAL will be initiating its own Web site
to further the availability of information. CCAL is the only
independent voice solely dedicated to the needs and concerns of consumers
of assisted living facilities. There are, however, a number of industry
organizations addressing the needs of the industry. CCAL works to
promote public policy and professional practices that support residents'
needs. It strives to include all voices in the effort to improve quality
and affordability, seeking participation from advocates, providers, line
staff, professionals in related fields, and regulators, in addition to
relatives and residents. The goal is to bring all stakeholders together
in a big tent where the issues can be addressed, problems can be solved,
and different ideas can contribute to the quality and availability of the
services provided by the industry.
Website Survey 