Anna R. Franklin
NCCCC Member, Regional Ombudsman
Southwestern Commission AAA, Region A
Imagine walking into a place that is supposed to feel like home—but instead, it feels institutional, impersonal, and routine-driven. Imagine waking up in a space where your choices are limited, your environment is sterile, and the rhythm of your day is dictated by schedules rather than your own preferences. For far too many residents in North Carolina’s long-term care facilities, this is the reality.
But it doesn’t have to be.
At the North Carolina Culture Change Coalition (NCCCC), we believe that changing the culture of long-term care is just as critical as advocating for residents' rights and regulatory improvements. While rules and protections matter, so does quality of life. Every resident deserves to feel at home, have choices, and experience joy in their daily lives.
How Culture Change Improves Lives
Changing the culture in long-term care isn’t just about better policies, it’s about creating vibrant, welcoming, and enriching environments where residents and staff thrive together. A true culture shift requires engagement, creativity, and commitment from everyone involved in elder care.
That’s where NCCCC and Civil Money Penalty (CMP) grant monies come in. A Civil Monetary Penalty (CMP) is a financial penalty imposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on nursing homes that fail to meet substantial compliance (with Medicare and Medicaid standards). A portion of these funds can be reinvested through grant initiatives aimed at enhancing the quality of care and life for nursing home residents. The Division of Health Service Regulation (DHSR) and the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) have a dedicated CMP Grant Fund Manager available to provide technical assistance and guidance to grantees. Through CMP funds and the joint support of NCCCC, we can help facilities and organizations introduce innovative, resident-centered programs that make a real difference.
What Does Culture Change Look Like?
☕ A Simple Cup of Coffee, Reimagined: A facility applied for a grant to install a coffee station—a small but impactful addition that gave residents a gathering space, a familiar daily ritual, and a sense of independence. Something as simple as a warm cup of coffee on their own terms created moments of normalcy and dignity.
🎶 Bingo + Exercise = Joyful Movement: Another program, Bingocize, took an everyday activity—Bingo—and blended it with light exercise movements to keep residents engaged, active, and socially connected.
📶 A Lifeline to Connection: In some rural nursing homes, Wi-Fi is weak or nonexistent. Funding provided to grantees the opportunity to improve internet access, allowing residents to connect with loved ones through video calls, access entertainment, and engage in meaningful activities online that improve social connection and reduce isolation.
These aren’t just programs. They’re lifelines to a better quality of life.
The Reality: We Need Your Support
NCCCC is an organization that reaches every corner of our state. We are dedicated to promoting positive and lasting cultural change in our long-term care communities. Without increased awareness and funding, our ability to sustain these programs and their impact may be at risk.
Because Nursing Homes Should Feel Like Home
Culture change in long-term care isn’t just an idea - it’s a movement. It’s a commitment to making every resident feel valued, every staff member feel supported, and every care facility feel more like home with an environment of compassion, connection, and dignity.
Join us in this work. Together, we can create homes, not just facilities.
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