Pedigo wants AARP views voiced on Capitol Hill

By CHARLES W. JOHNSON / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

PEDIGO

A bill designed to reform nursing home care is currently moving through the state legislature and needs the help of local residents to push it through, according to Tennessee AARP representative Thomas L. Pedigo.

The bill, titled AARP’s Nursing Home Reform Act, is being sponsored by Sen. Douglas Henry, D-Nashville, and Rep. Rob Briley, D-Nashville.

The bill is intended to address three main areas of concern for the AARP, including strengthening enforcement of nursing home standards and residents’ rights. Its goal is to ensure nursing homes are accountable through more frequent inspections, stronger oversight, and timely responses to complaints. To add incentive, nursing home funding is tied to the quality of care provided.

“We’re trying to get people to contact Sen. Jerry Cooper in regards to this bill,” Pedigo said, “and get his help on it.”

Pedigo says nursing home facilities are not consistent.

“Some of them are deplorable,” he said. “And some provided fairly decent care. The deplorable ones are the ones we want to improve.”

In an effort to show support for this bill, Pedigo is putting together a bus trip to Nashville on Wednesday, April 9 for a special meeting with Sen. Cooper, Rep. Judd Matheny and Rep. Charles Curtiss, to ask for their assistance in getting this bill passed.

Pedigo says he wants to round up 55 people to join in this ride, which is designated by the Warren County Upper Cumberland AARP as Bologna Day on the Hill in Nashville. He asks anyone interested to call him at 635-3256, or contact the Senior Center at 473-6559.

Transportation and lunch will be provided free of charge by the AARP.

“For our elder citizens, this is one of the prime projects we should be involved in,” Pedigo said.