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2012 State of Aging and Disabilities Survey: Another Year of Challenges Tempered by Opportunities |
State aging and disability agencies have operated within a tumultuous environment for the past several years. It has become increasingly more difficult to reconcile the needs of older adults and people with disabilities with the resources available to address those needs. Five themes are identified from the 2012 state of aging and disabilities surveys, which include the acceleration of Medicaid managed long term services and supports and continuing loss of historical knowledge around the nation. |
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Older Americans Act Citations related to Health Care Systems Coordination |
This document provides citations from the Older Americans Act that are supportive of, and outline opportunities for coordination efforts between State/Area Agencies on Aging and State/local health care systems. |
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ADULT PROTECTIVE SERVICES in 2012: INCREASINGLY VULNERABLE |
This report provides a snapshot of the APS program during a period of transition and change. Key elements driving the change include the economic environment, the continuation of states reorganization, and the federal budget impasse and decision of whether or not to fund the Elder Justice Act. ADvancing States and NAPSA will continue to collect data from the states and localities to provide updates on this evolution. |
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Nursing Home Reimbursement Changes |
This letter provides State Directors of State Units on Aging (SUAs) with information regarding the CMS decision to reduce Medicare skilled nursing facility (SNF) payments by 11.1% for FY 2012 (a reduction of $3.87 billion). The decision is supposed to create more efficiency in the Prospective Payment System (PPS). The memo describes the implications of such a decision coupled with frozen or reduced Medicaid payments to SNFs and Long Term Care Hospitals (LTCHs). |
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Administration on Aging Older Americans Act Reauthorization |
The AoA reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA) in 2011 was preceded by a series of listening sessions and online input forums representing thousands of consumers of OAA services. This document provides a summary of some of the common input received during this process. Some of the consistent views on OAA services were broad while others were more specific, e.g. expanding Long-Term Care Ombudsman (LTCO) services to all nursing home residents regardless of age. |
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Older Americans Act Reauthorization Listening Sessions |
ADvancing States organized members of the Aging Network at listening forums in 3 cities for the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act. The sessions fostered public input, which ADvancing States used to form recommendations for improvement according to its policy principles. The letter outlining these is addressed to Assistant Secretary of Aging, Kathy Greenlee. Some recommendations are to advance the network with more funding and to modernize the language of the Act to reflect person-centered objectives. |
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Ombudsman Program Coordination with Aging and Disability Resource Centers |
Collaboration between Long-Term Care Ombudsmen and Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) is beneficial in making informed long-term care choices. ADRCs are a vital bank of information for people considering home and community-based services in lieu of institutional settings. This report presents findings from a survey of states’ Ombudsman programs on what types of collaboration exist; some work with ADRCs by making referrals, conducting training, and/or exchanging information. |
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Charting the Ombudsman Program’s Role in a Modernized Long-Term Care System |
This report is the product of a dialogue concerning the role of the Ombudsman program as representation for residents of long-term care facilities in a system that is moving towards home and community-based long-term care. The report follows three key areas in which Ombudsmen can play a role—HCBS, diversion from nursing homes, and transition from institutional care—and considered the program’s resources, federal limitations, and conflicts of interest. |
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Senior Center Practices |
There has been effort to create standards for senior centers at a state level. Many State Units on Aging (SUAs) coordinate with Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) to fund, develop, and foster these standards. This report summarizes findings from a survey of 38 states concerning various areas related to senior centers, including funding sources, operational guidelines, and required services. Most states reported some common practices and 16 states provide guidance for their senior centers. |
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Training Requirements for Personal Care Attendants |
This is a summary of the results of a mini-survey conducted in January 2012. The purpose of this survey was to gain insight on different states’ requirements for Medicaid-funded personal care attendants (PCAs). The results from 24 respondent states showed variation in requirements, from required background checks to CPR training and other educational and health requirements. |
