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THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2024 Page 19 thorized to administer medications to residents of longterm care facilities; several new initiatives to recruit and retain a dedicated long-term care workforce; allowing assisted living residences to offer basic health services such as helping a resident administer drops, manage their oxygen or take a home diagnostic test; giving the Executive Offi ce of Elder Aff airs new powers to penalize non-compliance by allowing it to fi ne assisted living residences up to $500 per day; and authorizing the attorney general to fi le a civil action against a person who commits abuse, mistreatment or neglect of a patient or resident. Other provisions allow the Department of Public Health (DPH) to limit, restrict or revoke a long-term care facility’s license for cause, such as substantial or sustained failure to provide adequate care, substantial or sustained failure to comply with laws or regulations or lack of fi nancial capacity to operate a facility; streamline the process for small house nursing homes to be licensed; direct DPH to establish and implement training and education programs on topics such as infection prevention and control, resident care plans and staff safety programs; and require long-term care facilities to develop individualized outbreak response plans to contain the spread of disease and ensure consistent communication with DPH, residents, families, and staff . The measure also would require each long-term care facility to provide staff training on the rights and care of LGBTQ+ older adults and older adults living with HIV; forbid any long-term care facility and its staff from discriminating based in whole or in part on a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, intersex status or HIV status, whether through the denial of admission, medical or non-medical care, access to restrooms or through room assignments. “This legislation couldn’t have come at a more critical time when more oversight and accountability are needed in long-term care,” said Rep. Tom Stanley (D-Waltham), House chair of the Committee on Elder Aff airs. “[The bill] marks the fi rst major legislative reform to our long term care and assisted living industries in over a quarter of a century. This legislation enhances both access to and quality of care in longterm care settings, tightens suitability standards for operators, strengthens supports for the long-term care workforce and permanently allows assisted living residences to offer basic health services to their residents.” “This landmark legislation is the culmination of years of advocacy and collaboration among so many people committed to improving life for our family, friends and neighbors residing or working in longterm care, assisted living and the community,” said Sen. Pat Jehlen (D-Somerville), Senate chair of the Elder Aff airs Committee. “There is always more work to do but we have agreed on policy that will surely have a positive impact on quality of care, transparency and oversight and planning for the future.” “This bill is an important step toward ensuring older adults receive the care they need to be safe and healthy,” said Rep. Hannah Kane (R-Shrewsbury). “Strengthening oversight of long-term care facilities, requiring infectious disease outbreak plans, improving licensing requirements and other reforms … will protect vulnerable patients and provide the commonwealth with the tools needed to enforce the standards for long term care facilities.” CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE (S 2932) — The House last week gave initial approval to a bill, approved by the Senate in July, that would allow victims of child sexual abuse to fi le a civil suit, any time after the abuse took place, against an individual who sexually abused a minor or negligently supervised a person who sexually abused a minor. This would replace current law that places a statute of limitations which limits the time period during which a victim is allowed to sue, to the later of either 35 years after the abuse or seven years after discovery of damages relating to the abuse, with both timeframes beginning to run when the minor turns 18. Prior to 2014, the law allowed even less time to fi le a suit. The statute of limitations was limited to three years after a victim turned 18. That law was changed by the Legislature in 2014 to refl ect current law. When the Senate first approved the bill on July 31, sponsor Sen. Joan Loverly (D-Salem) said, “Back in 2014, we passed a statute of limitations for civil claims of child sexual abuse that would allow claims up to 35 years after the victim turned 18, or until 53 years old. I questioned then, and over the last decade, what was the magic number of 53, and I couldn’t fi nd one. I couldn’t fi nd that answer. So I decided to dig in, to talk to advocates, to talk to survivors, to talk to the public safety [offi cials].” Lovely continued, “I want to thank all of the survivors in and out of my district who have come to me, including colleagues, who disclosed to me that at some point in their life they were sexually abused, but they choose not to come forward and disclose because of how painful it is. It really is lifelong pain and trauma.” The bill is a “great thing” for survivors in Massachusetts, said Sandi Johnson, senior legislative policy counsel at the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. “We believe that survivors should have access to justice, regardless of when they’re able to access that justice,” said Johnson. “Eliminating that statute of limitations puts the focus back on whether or not there’s enough evidence, rather than just arbitrary timelines. Trauma is not a timeline and can’t be governed by a timeline.” Reps. Ken Gordon (D-Bedford) and John Lawn (D-Watertown) who fi led earlier versions of the bill, did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking them to comment on this bill. QUOTABLE QUOTES “We all have an important role to play in protecting civil rights, particularly at a time when societal divisions and political polarization have resulted in decreased civility and increased intolerance. The Healey-Driscoll Administration remains focused on developing and supporting the programs, policies and initiatives that strengthen Massachusetts’ ability to uphold our values and embrace our diff erences.” ---Public Safety and Security Secretary Terrence Reidy on the Healey administration’s convening a statewide Civil Rights Symposium for 200 law enforcement offi cers to promote justice, equity and civil rights protections for all Bay State residents and visitors. “One of my first commitments as governor was to launch this assessment across our administration with the goal of applying an equity lens to everything we do. If we want to break down barriers to accessing government service and ensure we are reaching every community, we need to be able to measure what’s working well and what needs improvement — and then we need to act.” ---Gov. Healey upon releasing a report on equity assessment BEACON | SEE Page 20 How to Find Legal Help When You Can’t Afford a Lawyer Dear Savvy Senior, Can you recommend any programs or organizations that provide free or low-cost legal services to seniors? I believe I need some professional legal help but have limited income and very little savings. Almost 70 Dear Almost, Whether you need help drawing up a will or a contract, or you’re facing some sort of legal jeopardy or dilemma, hiring an attorney can be expensive. Most lawyers today charge anywhere between $100 and $300 an hour. Fortunately, there are a number of diff erent programs and organizations that off er free legal advice and may help you fi nd a free or lowcost attorney. Here’s where look for help in your area. Legal Aid: Directed by the Legal Services Corporation, legal aid provides free legal assistance to low-income people of all ages. Each community program will diff er slightly in the services they off er and income qualifi cations. Visit LSC. gov/fi nd-legal-aid to locate a program near you. LawHelp: Powered by Pro Bono Net, a national nonprofit organization, LawHelp.org is a terrifi c resource that will help you locate free legal aid near you, get answers to your legal questions and even fi ll out legal documents. These free services are for people with low to moderate incomes. Free Legal Answers: This is an online program created by the American Bar Association that matches low-income clients with volunteer lawyers who agree to provide brief answers online for free. This service will not answer criminal law questions and it’s not available in every state. See ABAfreelegalanswers.org to look for a program in your state. Senior Legal Hotlines: There are around 30 states that off er senior legal hotlines, where all seniors over age 60 have access to free legal advice over the telephone. To fi nd out if this service is available in your state, go to ProSeniors.org and click on “Resources,” followed by “U.S. Senior Legal Hotline Directory.” Senior Legal Services: Coordinated by the Administration on Aging, this service may offer free or low-cost legal advice, legal assistance or access to legal representation to people over the age of 60. Your Area Agency on Aging can tell you what’s available in your community. Call the Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116 to get your local number. Local Law Schools: More than 200 university law schools across the country have pro bono programs that off er free legal assistance provided by law students, who are supervised by their professors. See AmericanBar.org/groups/center-pro-bono — scroll down and click on “Directory of Law School Public Interest and Pro Bono Programs” to locate a program near you. Pension Rights Center: This is a nonprofi t consumer organization that provides free legal assistance for problems with pension, 401(k) or other retirement plans. Go to PensionRights.org/fi nd-help to search for help in your state. Stateside Legal: For military members, veterans, and their families, StatesideLegal.org provides access to free legal information and legal assistance in your area. National Disability Rights Network: This is a nonprofit membership organization that provides legal assistance to people with disabilities through their Protection and Advocacy System and Client Assistance Program. If you are disabled, visit NDRN.org to fi nd help in your state. Other Options: If you can’t get help from one of these programs, or fi nd that you aren’t eligible, another option is to contact your state or local bar association to see if there are any volunteer lawyer projects in your area or if they can refer you to a low-fee lawyer. To contact your state or local bar association, go to FindLegalHelp.org. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

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