We know that advocates and others who work with and for consumers of long-term care, services and supports frequently need information quickly to support and enhance their advocacy work. Information-sharing is core to our mission, and the Clearinghouse provides a way to coordinate and compile information. The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care has developed the first-ever clearinghouse for long-term care information geared toward promoting effective advocacy and consumer-directed care. The Clearinghouse’s objectives are twofold: 1) Reduce the time advocates and others spend searching for credible information on a wide range of long-term care topics; and 2) establish a one-stop-shop of information on a range of long-term care issues, particularly for those who wish to advocate for consumers.
Want to know more about how the Clearinghouse works? Watch a video tutorial.
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The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care does not constitute inclusion of a resource in the Clearinghouse as an endorsement on behalf of our organization, or from the long-term care advocacy community as a whole. In fact, we frequently will add resources that present opinions that may be in opposition to the belief of some advocates as a way to assist such advocates, and the broader aging community, in understanding opposing perspectives and formulating advocacy strategy and messaging. We will, however, do our best effort to only include resources from “valid” sources (meaning those that come from legitimate organizations - organizations and groups where advocates can clearly find and communicate with such organization about information, their own sources, validity of data, etc.).
Frequently Asked Questions:
1) Why do I have to register to use the Clearinghouse and access the resources?
2) How is the Clearinghouse organized and how do I use the Advanced Search?
3) What are some tips for using the Clearinghouse keyword search?
4) How do you decide what to include in the Clearinghouse?
5) You’re missing a great resource! Will you consider including it?
6) I am having a problem or I have a further question about the Clearinghouse. Who do I contact?
1) Why do I have to register to use the Clearinghouse and access the resources?
The Consumer Voice requires that you register for the Clearinghouse for several reasons: 1) To collect usage metrics for grant reporting and for development purposes, to continue to make the Clearinghouse a useful tool; 2) To contact users with announcements about the Clearinghouse and alert them to new resources when they're added; 3) To prevent spam in the Suggest a Resource and Feedback forms; 4) To encourage users to join our email list and the Action Network (you will only be added to these lists if you choose that option on your Account page).
2) How is the Clearinghouse organized and how do I use the Advanced Search?
The Consumer Voice Clearinghouse uses a basic keyword search. When searching, if you can't find what you're looking for or would like to narrow your search, use the Advanced Search tool, where you can choose a publication date range or use our tags and types. The Clearinghouse is categorized using a system of tags and types developed by the Consumer Voice staff. Tags refer to descriptive topics (e.g. abuse, nursing homes, ombudsman program, etc.), and types refer to kinds of resources (e.g. federal or state law, fact sheet, training material, etc.). If you do not choose a publication date range or any tags or types, your search will include all years and all of the tag and type categories.
3) What are some tips for using the Clearinghouse keyword search?
4) How do you decide what to include in the Clearinghouse?
The Clearinghouse is comprised of resources from the Consumer Voice and the National Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC), along with a multitude of useful resources from other organizations. The Consumer Voice staff and Clearinghouse Advisory Committee created a vetting policy used to decide whether a resource should be included. Each resource is evaluated using the vetting criteria and approved or not approved for inclusion.
5) You’re missing a great resource! Will you consider including it?
Of course! The Clearinghouse is always expanding. Use the Suggest a Resource page to recommend any new or missing resources in our database.
6) I am having a problem or I have a further question about the Clearinghouse. Who do I contact?
Visit the Feedback page to tell us about your questions, concerns or experiences with the Clearinghouse.