New Laws Protecting Seniors

Sen. Kevin Kelly, Stratford and Rep. J.P. Sredzinski, at the Monroe Senior Center for a legislative update.

Legislators Update efforts at Capitol

Hartford, CT – This week Senator Kevin Kelly (R-Stratford) and Representative J.P. Sredzinski (R-Monroe) visited the Monroe Senior Center.

The meeting was an important one for legislators to listen to the concerns of seniors and for Kelly and Sredzinski to update residents on changes to laws affecting them. Several bills passed this legislative session in Hartford are aimed at improving the lives of seniors.

For instance the Elder Abuse law passed this year includes a change which makes emergency medical service providers mandated reporters of elderly abuse and expands training for employees who care for someone age 60 or older.

The law also gives those who are victimized a civil cause of action against perpetrators and requires financial agents to get training on elderly fraud, exploitation and financial abuse. The new law which goes into effect in October also stops someone who is convicted of elder abuse from inheriting anything from a deceased victim.

Also passed by the General Assembly a Patient-Designated Caregivers Act, this new law helps prepare unpaid caregivers to provide follow-up care after a loved one is discharged from a hospital.

It does so by requiring a hospital, when discharging a patient to his or her home, to:

• allow the patient to designate a caregiver at, or before, the time the patient receives a written copy of his or her discharge plan;
• document that designated caregiver in the patient’s discharge plan;
• attempt to notify the designated caregiver of the patient’s discharge home; and
• instruct the caregiver on post-discharge tasks with which he or she will assist the patient at home.

Finally, a new law concerning Continuing Care Facilities was enacted. This new law establishes protections and rights for residents by requiring facilities to give residents advance notice of major construction, ownership change, and increases in monthly service fees.

It also allows residents to elect boards (i.e., resident’s councils) to advocate for their rights and advise the provider on resident welfare and interests. The new law decreases the amount of funds continuing care providers must keep in escrow and expands the allowable uses of such funds.