Long-Term Care

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.

This document compares 4 Area Agency on Aging (AAA) models on integrating access and services in CA, MA, OH, & ME. The programs each use AAAs as entryways to senior and LTC services. The sites differ in terms of the primary financing mechanisms and whether the effort was initiated at the state level and disseminated downward or at the local level and worked its way up. This report is 1 of 5 from the series Case Studies from the Aging Network: Health and Social Support Systems Integration.

The National Aging Services Network has played a key role in integrating information about community services, including health, social support, educational, and recreational services, resources, and funding streams. This document compares two Area Agency on Aging (AAA) computerized information systems in Georgia and Indiana. This study is one of a series of five reports called Case Studies from the Aging Network: Health and Social Support Systems Integration.

The Indiana Department of Administration (IDOA) released an RFP for a statewide-automated case management system that included case management, overall tracking & control of cases, person centered planning to formulate & monitor individually centered plans of service, management & control of provider claims, direct linkage to all state systems, outcome-related information, waiting list management to track unmet demands by type of service and individual, & electronic billing to include Medicaid.

A brochure on the Arkansas Ombudsman program for home and community based services addresses participants rights and their choice in receiving services for long term care. Includes contact information on the Web and the toll free telephone number to contact the Arkansas Division of Aging and Adult Services.

Individuals with certain combinations of needs who enroll in both the state-administered Medicaid program and the federally-administered Medicare program are referred to as dual eligibles. Currently, they receive prescription drugs and most LTC benefits from Medicaid, while they are covered by Medicare for acute benefits. Because dual eligibles receive benefits from both programs, many care coordination challenges arise in delivering high-quality, cost effective, & comprehensive benefits.

Turnover among direct-care workers in long-term care costs U.S. employers about $3,500 per employee, or more than $4 billion a year. This report outlines the known facts about direct-care turnover costs, presents a framework for measuring those costs, and discusses their implications for providers, policymakers, and researchers. The inescapable conclusion is that direct-care turnover is a business problem, a quality of care problem, and a significant public resource problem.

FPECA is a type I Research Center, charged by the Florida Board of Regents to inform policymakers, media representative, scholars, and advocates on policies, programs, and services for older adults. Available on the site: Florida Training Academy on Aging, State Data Center on Aging, Task Force on the Availability and Affordability of Long-Term Care. FPECA produced reports and a periodic journal, Aging Research and Policy Report.

The New Freedom Initiative, announced in February 2001, called for a comprehensive assessment of federal policies, programs, statutes, and regulations to identify barriers that impede community living for disabled individuals—and for recommended solutions. In October 2004 CMS awarded an additional $30 million in Real Choice Systems Change Grants—this money in addition to the 188 grants for over $158 million between fiscal years 2001-03. This report highlights accomplishments of those programs.

This report focuses attention on a growing issue facing the nation: how to support & sustain those who are the cornerstone of our LTC system—the dedicated families & informal caregivers. This national study is the first to examine publicly funded caregiver support programs throughout all 50 states. The report identifies key findings, describes state approaches to providing caregiver support services, offers state-by-state profiles, pinpoints challenges, & expands recognition of caregiver needs.