Long-Term Care

Held in December 2005, this decennial event was designed to develop recommendations for additional research and action in the field of aging. The 2005 conference occurs as the first wave of the baby boom generation prepares for retirement, creating an opportunity to reassess aging in America and focus on the lives of older Americans. Review the presentations from selected sessions; topics include policy issues, long term care, civil and social engagement, and the workplace of the future.

The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured has collected resources related to the Medicaid policy changes in the budget conference agreement to be voted on in February. Review the fact sheet and other resources related to the bill.

This policy in practice brief describes the statutory foundation of the Community Choice Counseling program which is rooted in pre-admission screening for nursing homes, and how state leaders used that 1988 law to reduce resistance from nursing homes and obtain a sustainable funding source for the staff. This brief also summarizes new innovations, evaluation findings, lessons learned, and potential future directions.

Amid federal and state budget pressures, policymakers in many states are either planning to start new managed care programs for Medicaid beneficiaries with LTC needs or are expanding existing programs. This AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Brief reviews the limited but important experience of states that have implemented such programs to date, identifies key policy issues going forward, and assesses the likelihood of future growth in these programs.

A special edition of <i>Health Progress Magazine</i> focuses on the theme of Workplace Issues. The November-December 2005 journal has a number of great articles about the long-term care workforce. Titles include the Turnover Turnaround, Breaking the Turnover Cycle, and Who Will Care for the Caregivers?

As turnover among direct care workers continues at very high rates, providers need to implement solutions that work and employee surveys can be an important tool in understanding staff satisfaction. This guide was developed to help organizations improve their use of measurement tools to understand direct care workforce problems and to inform their solutions. LTC providers and researchers can use the 12 instrument measures to assess monitor and improve the work environment.

In recent years, states have been trying to shift resources from institutional to home and community based long-term care services. This report examines \"transition\" and \"diversion\" policies and practices in eight states. It provides a sense of what state Medicaid programs are doing or could be doing to promote diversion.

This new interactive online tool provides the latest key data for each state’s Medicaid program and the population it serves, allowing for easy comparisons of one state to any other state or to the nation as a whole, on a selection of important indicators. Utilizing figures from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and drawn directly from statehealthfacts.org, this tool provides customized figures and tables that can be easily printed as fact sheets, emailed or saved.

The goal of the West Virginia Real Choice project is to create enduring improvements in community long-term support systems so that individuals of any age who have a disability or long-term illness have the choice and necessary supports to live and participate in their communities. The have created three position papers to present arguments for expanding the horizons of employment options, personal assistance programs, and waiting lists protocols.

This is the fourth in a series of newsletters produced at the Exchange to provide assistance to our CMS Real Choice Systems Change grantees. This newsletter is produced biannually. Topics include: Building Nursing Home Transition into a Balanced Long-term Care System: The Washington Model, Individualized Back-up Planning and Independence Plus in Louisiana & New Hampshire, Participant-Centered Planning & Individual Budgeting, South Carolina's Care Call, and Money Follows the Person.