Odd Fellows' and Rebekahs' Home of Maine

04/08/2024

John Bolduc: Action needed to preserve access to long-term care in Maine
sunjournal.com/2024/04/07/john-bolduc-action-needed-to-preserve-access-to-long-term-care-in-maine
April 7, 2024

John Bolduc
Our state is facing a crisis that demands immediate attention from our legislators: the alarming rate of closures of nursing homes and residential care facilities.
Since 2014, approximately 50 such facilities have shut their doors or downsized their operations. These closures are not isolated incidents; they are symptomatic of a larger systemic issue fueled by low reimbursement rates, soaring inflation, and rising labor costs.
As the executive director of the Odd Fellows’ & Rebekahs’ Home of Maine, a nonprofit residential care and nursing facility in Auburn, I know these struggles all too well as we are forced to navigate them every day.
Maine’s long-term care sector is in a perfect storm. The costs of caring for our beloved older adults have skyrocketed while reimbursement rates have failed to keep pace. The result? In 2022 alone, the nursing home sector faced a shortfall of $96.5 million, while residential care and assisted living facilities experienced a $24.3 million deficit.
Maine, with its aging population and status as the oldest state in the nation, stands at a critical juncture. Nearly 70% of older adults will require long term care supports and service at some point in their lives. Yet, the dwindling access to such care is alarming. Hancock County, for instance, now lacks any nursing homes, and other regions are poised to follow suit.
Repercussions from these closures are profound. Residents and their families are enduring emotional distress, while increased travel times strains already vulnerable populations. Closures and downsizings are rippling through communities, leaving vulnerable populations without essential services, and families must face difficult decisions. And it is costing jobs, as many facilities are a major employer in their community.
Hospitals are facing backlogs from individuals awaiting long-term care placements, which further exacerbates pressures on our healthcare system. Extended hospitalization is a much more significant financial burden to the state than long-term care, and hospitals cannot address the social needs of those awaiting placement.
We cannot afford to stand idly by as nursing homes and residential care facilities vanish from our communities. The Legislature must take immediate action by increasing MaineCare reimbursement rates and providing sustained funding to address this crisis. With federal matching funds available, there is an opportunity to leverage resources and safeguard the future of long-term care in Maine.
The urgent nature of the situation is clear. Maine’s long-term care facilities aren’t just buildings; they are homes. They are havens of care, compassion and dignity for our older adults. Yet, these essential institutions are under threat, facing financial instability that jeopardizes the well-being of countless individuals and families across our state.
This dire situation has brought together a coalition of diverse organizations to join the “Who Will Care?” coalition. From our hospitals to leading advocacy organizations, this diverse coalition recognizes the impact of these closures and is advocating to increase funding for long-term care facilities. Since the coalition’s launch, nurses, family members, and a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers have spoken up about the urgent need to address funding shortfalls.
The urgency of this moment cannot be overstated. We owe it to our older adults, our communities, and ourselves to confront this crisis head-on and chart a course toward a future where quality long-term care is not a luxury but a fundamental right.
As legislators consider the path forward, they must listen to the voices of those most affected by their decisions. They must recognize that investing in long-term care is not just a fiscal responsibility but a moral imperative.
By increasing MaineCare reimbursement rates to levels that allow facilities to remain open, and committing to sustained funding, we can strengthen our long-term care infrastructure, ensuring that long-term care services remain available to our elderly population and to ourselves as we age.
John Bolduc, the executive director of Odd Fellows’ and Rebekahs’ Home of Maine since 1995, has over 35 years of long-term care experience. He serves as vice chairman on the board of directors of the Maine Health Care Association.

We cannot afford to stand idly by as nursing homes and residential care facilities vanish from our communities. The Legislature must take immediate action by increasing MaineCare reimbursement rates and providing sustained funding to address this crisis. With federal matching funds available, there....

03/29/2024

A little fun on a Friday!

03/22/2024

WHO WILL CARE FOR US!
As you may have seen this week, 3 more nursing homes are closing, making that 25 since 2020!
We are taking part in the Maine Health Care Campaign called WHO WILL CARE FOR US, The aim of this campaign is to get the message to legislators that we cannot continue to underfund nursing homes and let them keep closing.
Film for media ads for this campaign were done at Odd Fellows' and Rebekahs' Home of Maine featuring Denise, Betty and Larry and our DON, Doreen.
Take a look at the videos here:
30s: https://f.io/FkSfJEjx
15s - https://f.io/kKTVCjjV
Please contact your legislators and let them know that this cannot continue!
Thank you
John Bolduc
Please Share this post!!!

12/19/2023

12/19/2023

Happy Holidays everyone!
Everything is back to normal! The outbreak is over and masks are no longer required! Thank you all for your support and patience!
Due to the outbreak, our yearly party that the Rebekahs and Rebekah Assembly President, Denise Annis prepared for the residents has been postponed but Denise and her merry band of elves still put a lot of work into shopping for presents for the residents and the event will be rescheduled. Thank you Denise!
One thing that is not normal however is phone service and power and internet.
All residents are fine and we will immediately contact their responsible parties if there are any issues, by using a cell phone.
CMP assures us that we are priority for power restoration but gives no estimate, but our 2 100,000 watt generators are assuring continual power to everything!
The fire department is aware of our situation and our fire alarm system functions via satellite so is fully operational.
Our building and grounds suffered no damage. All in all, we were well prepared and things are going well. Without internet I am using my phone to write this.

11/25/2023

Greetings, I hope you all had pleasant Thanksgiving.
As you may have heard, COVID-19 cases are again on the rise in Maine.
I am writing to inform you that we have identified a small number of positive cases in the nursing home including residents and staff. For residents who have tested positive we have contacted their primary family contacts directly.
Thank you to our staff, whose vigilance allowed us to identify and respond to these cases quickly.
The health and safety of our residents continues to be our number one priority.
The Assisted Living facility residents and staff have not been affected thus far.
Given this information we ask for you to be thoughtful in planning your visits and to follow staff guidance when visiting and call in advance if you have any questions.
Thank you for your continued support.
John Bolduc

11/18/2023

Hi everyone!
Please take note that if you are taking your loved one out for Thanksgiving, please let Doreen or Mark know so that we can prepare and have any medication they may need packed and ready to go.
Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!
John

04/27/2023

Good News!
Community transmission has now been moderate for several weeks and we are ending the requirement that staff and visitors wear facemasks!
We will still require facemasks for staff and visitors in healthcare settings who:
• Have suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection or other respiratory infection (e.g., those with runny nose, cough, sneeze); or
• Had close contact (patients and visitors) or a higher-risk exposure (HCP) with someone with SARS-CoV-2 infection, for 10 days after their exposure; or
• Reside or work on a unit or area of the facility experiencing a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak;
• Have otherwise had source control recommended by public health authorities

Individuals might also choose to continue using source control based on personal preference, informed by their perceived level of risk for infection based on their recent activities (e.g., attending crowded indoor gatherings with poor ventilation) and their potential for developing severe disease. For example, if an individual or someone in their household is at increased risk for severe disease, they should consider wearing masks or respirators that provide more protection because of better filtration and fit to reduce exposure and infection risk, even if source control is not otherwise required by the facility. We will continue to require source control when caring for patients who are moderately to severely immunocompromised.

IF YOU ARE TOLD BY THE DON OR THE CHARGE NURSE ON DUTY THAT YOU MUST WEAR A FACEMASK FOR ONE OF THE REASONS LISTED ABOVE, YOU MUST COMPLY!
SCCREENING AT DOOR FOR VISITORS WILL CONTINUE AND THEY MUST MASK IF THEY MEET ANY OF THE CRITERIA LISTED ABOVE
Thank you ALL for your patience, it is so good to see people's full faces now!!!
John

03/10/2023

The Long-Term Care Funding Shortfall in Maine: A Crisis We Can’t Ignore

John Bolduc, Executive Director of Odd Fellows’ & Rebekahs’ Home of Maine

Maine is facing a crisis that we cannot ignore. Nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and the care continuum have been underfunded for decades. MaineCare pays for about 70% of nursing facility residents. And despite caring for our most vulnerable population, MaineCare reimburses nursing homes $40 per resident day less than the cost of care. Even with emergency funding, this adds up to the nursing facility industry facing a $47 million shortfall in 2021.

Our healthcare system is already buckling from budget shortages. Fifteen long term care facilities closed in the past three years, and more will indeed close until this crisis is faced head-on. People need long term care, but we don’t have the capacity. Hospitals are full because they have patients better suited for a nursing facility - but there is no capacity.

Underfunding causes facilities to close while our population continues to age. By 2028, our state is estimated to have over 60,000 more residents over 65 than today. Now is not the time to let our limited number of facilities wither away due to underfunding.

The legislature is considering our biennial budget, which includes some funds for long term care. But what is proposed is still merely the status quo. Unfortunately, as evidenced by the recent closures, more is needed.

The shortfall is a crisis that cannot fix itself. The legislature must ensure its elderly population can access quality care. Without action, the crisis will only worsen, and Maine's older population will suffer the consequences.
Article in the Portland Press Herald