Advocates

On April 29, 2021, the U.S. Special Committee on Aging held a virtual hearing on “A Changing Workforce: Supporting Older Workers Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond”, that discussed what steps could be taken to support older Americans in the workforce.

ACL, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) have published new resources to help states, vaccination providers, and others leading COVID-19 response activities improve access to vaccines for people with disabilities and older adults. These resources clarify legal requirements, explain barriers to vaccine access and provide examples of how the aging and disability network can help increase access.

The Institute for Medicaid Innovation has released a new report on how amendments and waivers are used to support innovative Medicaid program payment and delivery system models. The report is the second release in IMI’s “Introduction to Medicaid” series. The resource outlines 5 ccommon Medicaid waivers including a comparison table of all waivers implemented throughout the country. The report also explores the current use of 1135 waivers to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A coalition of aging and disability groups, including ADvancing States, partnered to develop a guide to making vaccination sites fully accessible to older adults and people with disabilities. The recommendations included in the guide address significant gaps in accessibility of vaccine administration sites and can go a long way toward increasing vaccination rates in these vulnerable populations.

The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care published a summary on CMS' latest guidance on nursing home visitiation, issued on March 10, 2021. The summary highlights key points and changes from the September issue regarding indoor vistation as well as lists potential concerns.

CMS, in collaboration with New Editions Consulting Inc. is offering free HCBS technical assistance to states who are: planning on expanding Medicaid home and community-based services, and/or changing approaches and strategies to be more responsive to CMS guidance, stakeholder input, and state priorities, and/or modifying current HCBS programs based on state and stakeholder experiences in response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.

The University of Southern California's Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work has posted a "Crisis Care for Adults With Cognitive Impairment" resource on their website. This webpage includes a list of the types of cognitive impairment, a guide to person-centered care for adults with cognitive impairment and strategies for health care providers. Source: The MSW@USC, the online Master of Social Work program at the University of Southern California.

The Rehabilitation Research Training Center (RRTC) on home and community-based services (HCBS) recently shared their Spring 2021 newsletter titled HCBS Quality Matters. The newsletter provides an inside look at the RRTC’s work and the HCBS studies on which they collaborate. The Spring 2021 edition highlights the needs of people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) and includes stories on health disparities, employment, and person-centered planning.

Using data from the 2019 AAA National Survey, this brief, explores differences and similarities between AAAs serving rural and non-rural areas in structure, budget, workforce and service provision, including home repair and modification, transportation and evidence-based programs.

The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities has launched a new vaccination resource website for the I/DD community. The site shares trusted sources to help inform vaccine decisions among the community and caregivers.