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Congratulations to Ray DiFrancesco (pictured, second from right), a founding member of NJ Nursing ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Residents United, who received the Elder Protection Task Force’s 2025 Award of Excellence to recognize his efforts toward empowering himself and other nursing home residents to self-advocate.
Ray received the award June 13 during a World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) event hosted at the Monroe Township Senior Center by the ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Attorney General, Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor–Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the Elder Protection Task Force. Pictured above, from left to right: Rich King, Deputy Chief of Detectives, Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor; Heather Hadley, Bureau Chief, Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor–Medicaid Fraud Control Unit; Ray DiFrancesco; and Al Garcia, Interim Insurance Fraud Prosecutor.
Ray is one of several ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ nursing home residents in the Residents United group, which works closely with the Long-Term Care Ombudsman’s Community Engagement Program to educate people about nursing home issues and ensure that advocacy efforts are centered on residents’ wishes.