Long-Term Care

Informal caregivers, primarily family, but also friends and volunteers, have been and continue to be integral to the system of providing critical assistance to persons age 65 or older who need long-term care. This Data Profile provides an overview of informal caregivers today compared to caregivers a decade ago. This brief also offers excellent data and charts that offer a pictorial overview of the changes.

This guide explains the critical role Medicare and Medicaid have come to play in the lives and the futures of roughly 20 million children, adults, and seniors with disabilities - and gives people new information. This guides answers many questions such as: How do people with disabilities apply and can they get help with the process? What is the policy for covering durable medical equipment? How to appeal coverage decisions? Can a person be employed and still keep their coverage?

The Compendium contains basic information about each of the Real Choice Systems Change Grantees. The Compendium will help you learn more about how these grants will be used to allow more people of all ages with a disability or long term illness to live and participate in their communities. Real Choice Systems Change Grantees will also find the Compendium useful to identify other Grantees with similar goals and activities. The fourth edition of the Compendium replaces all previous editions.

This State Policy in Practice brief is the second in a series of reports on how states are addressing laws that regulate nursing practice to be more responsive to consumers’ preferences to live in their own communities. This brief focuses on Oregon’s policies for how nurses may collaborate with consumers in managing health maintenance activities.

This letter dated February 18, 2005 provides guidance on CMS disclosure of LTC/MDS data to State Medicaid Agencies, Section 1915 Waiver Programs, and “Real Choice Systems Change Grant” Programs in order to assist states in their efforts to comply with the integrated care setting and reasonable accommodation requirements of Title II of the ADA. Share this letter with appropriate state agency staff and designated entities that are working on waiver and grant programs.

Consumer advocates and state leaders have been exploring ways to identify nursing home residents who want to return to their homes and communities. One effort involves the potential use of the Long Term Care Minimum Data Set (MDS), particularly Section Q, which addresses residents’ discharge preference. This technical assistance document provides practical information about how state agencies can use these federal data on nursing home residents to improve their nursing home transition efforts.

Case Studies on the Role of the National Aging Services Network-- These case studies highlight 14 state or community programs whose innovations have strengthened local options for older Americans. The sites were selected with valuable input from a Technical Advisory Group, the Administration on Aging, and feedback from the states themselves. This report is one of 5 in a series called Case Studies from the Aging Network: Health and Social Support Systems Integration.

Reverse mortgages are specialized loans that enable seniors to tap their home equity while they continue to live in the home. With an estimated average amount of over $72,000 available to older households from these loans, reverse mortgages can help pay for several years of out-of-pocket expenses. This project’s goal is to outline the rationale for increasing the use of reverse mortgages for long-term care and to identify areas where government interventions may be able to stimulate the market.

Improving Health and Long-Term Care Coverage for Low-Income Americans This report—the product of a year-long effort to identify changes that would make the 40-year-old Medicaid program more effective—was developed in collaboration with a workgroup of state officials and national experts. The group’s final recommendations identify numerous opportunities for improving the program and are focused on three key areas: eligibility, benefits and financing.

This report reviews the initiatives of five states and highlights ongoing efforts to create a more balanced financing and delivery system. A table summarizes the home and community-based services system in each of the states. The case studies suggest at least five key issues for other states, Area Agencies on Aging, providers and consumers that are interested in reform. This report is one of 5 in a series called Case Studies from the Aging Network: Health and Social Support Systems Integration.