Elder Voice Advocates

“Expenses advertising 497 office supplies 109 information technology 552 travel 597 meetings and conferences 613 insurance 1,167 subscriptions & reference 789 memorials 135 miscellaneous expense 485 total 4,944”

“Prior period adjustment 0”

“Elder voice advocates (eva) is a coalition of family members and others who have experienced abuse, neglect and exploitation of loved ones who received services from long-term care providers. Our mission is stop abuse, neglect and exploitation of elder and vulnerable adults by educating the public, policy makers, industry and others about maltreatment happening in long-term care facilities and the need to have effective laws, policy and enforcement. Eva is the only organization in minnesota whose sole mission is to stop abuse, neglect, and exploitation of elder and vulnerable adults by educating the public, policymakers, and others about maltreatment happening in long-term care (ltc) facilities and the need to have effective laws, policy, and enforcement. Department of health interface (mdh): eva continues working with mdh by reviewing all the statutory language and the mdh drafts to make suggested changes. Many of our recommendations were adopted, further strengthening infection control and other protections for residents. We were also appointed to the resident quality task force, assisted living advisory committee and assisted living report card advisory task force. Coalition partnerships: there has been good progress building a partnering relationship with the mn office of ombudsman for long-term care. We are collaborating on several possible public policy solutions and reviewing family council documents. We have expanded our coalition building to include other elder, retiree and advocacy organizations. We have begun to expand our advocacy work for adults with disabilities. Legislative outreach: eva supported the successful passage of the task force on aging, the elimination of a law that restricted legal action to continue if the person dies, we supported several legislative initiatives such increased compensation for staff. New programs: development of the elder care iq online screening tool to enable people to see if an assisted living, nursing home, home care, boarding care or hospital have been investigated for abuse, neglect and/or exploitation. Additionally, the spotlight was created to highlight investigation reports of a range of abuse and neglect cases to illustrate the scope of this problem. Family assistance: we helped families seeking more information on the quality of care in facilities being considered. This often takes several hours to do the research and answer their questions. Others call, desperate for help in managing a serious care issue. Media: we were called upon by newspapers and tv to comment on various aspects of the elder care. Recent coverage includes front page stories when elder care iq was launched. Website: we engaged the expertise of a contracted website developer in december 2020 continue to broaden the resources available on the get help page. We continue 'state investigation spotlight,' which features investigations of maltreatment. From january 1 - may 18, 2-23 the number of new visitors increased 11.25%. Social media: we have escalated our social media program and are expanding to diverse audiences such as bipoc and lbgtq groups. Our average daily twitter reach has increased from 95 in march 2022 to 1,995 in march 2023. The e-newsletter subscriber base has increased significantly from 400 in november 2020 to 1,135 in may 2023. We have a total open rate across all email communications of approximately 50% as compared to the 25.2 % for typical non-profit e-newsletter open rate.”

“In 2024, elder voice advocates (eva) advanced its mission to protect elders and vulnerable adults from abuse, neglect, and exploitation through impactful programs, legislative initiatives, and cross-state expansion. 1. Launch of disability voice advocates (diva): eva launched a new initiative-disability voice advocates (diva)-to protect the rights of people with disabilities. Diva focused on pushing back against the waiver reimagine program, which threatens to institutionalize individuals by redirecting funding away from home and community-based services. Diva supported legislation requiring waiver funding to be based on individual needs, not location. 2. Advocacy against waiver reimagine and support for legislative oversight: diva introduced legislation to pause implementation of waiver reimagine to ensure that individuals with disabilities, legislators, and stakeholders- not just dhs-control the direction of reforms. 3. Guardianship reform efforts: eva led advocacy efforts to eliminate blanket immunity for guardians and conservators in minnesota, championing legislation to restore legal accountability and ensure standards of practice. These reforms aim to protect vulnerable adults from abuse and neglect under court-appointed guardianship. 4. Expansion of elder care iq to south dakota: eva began working with the south dakota department of health to expand elder care iq, our pioneering online screening tool that uses government data to help the public evaluate long-term care providers. This initiative brings greater transparency, accountability, and safety to long-term care in south dakota, following its successful use in minnesota. 5. Enhancement and promotion of elder care iq in minnesota: in partnership with the minnesota department of health, eva continued to enhance and promote elder care iq, a first-of-its-kind online tool that compiles public inspection reports on abuse, neglect, and exploitation in nursing homes and other care settings. It helps families locate and evaluate providers while promoting system-wide improvements in care quality. 6. Advocacy for financial transparency in nursing homes: eva supported legislation to require nursing homes to publicly report their financial and operational data, helping to ensure public dollars are spent on direct care and not diverted away from essential resident services. 7. Escalated our fund development:we engaged the services of a fund development consulting firm, which has secured a 840,000 two-year grant which became effective april 1, 2025. Currently there are another 300,000 in grant applications outstanding. 8. Proposal for a department of community aging: to address the state's rapidly aging population, eva proposed the creation of a minnesota department of community aging, designed and led by older adults themselves. This new agency would develop a comprehensive aging strategy, coordinate aging-related services, and promote aging in place. 9. Proposal to conduct a legislative audit of the state guardianship program: successfully requested and received a legislative audit of minnesota's guardianship program, which was completed in april 2025. The report recommends fundamental reform of the guardianship program. Through these achievements, elder voice advocates reaffirmed its commitment to advocacy, transparency, and systemic reform-empowering individuals and families to make informed choices and holding systems accountable for the care and dignity of elders and people with disabilities.”