Aging/Older Adults

This resource for programs includes State Lifespan Respite Programs, that provide respite and are interested in developing & implementing participant-directed respite, especially through voucher programs. Included are: overview materials that provide content information regarding participant direction, examples from two states that currently implement participant-directed respite programs using a voucher system, important tax and financial information, & resources for additional materials.

This policy brief from Georgetown University, produced with support from The SCAN Foundation, reviews Medicaid's importance and current funding limitations for long-term care and makes the case for strengthening Medicaid two possible ways - full federal responsibility for Medicare beneficiaries who also rely on Medicaid or an enhanced federal match for Medicaid long-term care services. Each approach carries with it a federal commitment to bear the brunt of a growing elderly population.

Person- and family-centered care (PFCC) has gained attention in recent years as a mechanism for transforming health care and long-term services & supports (LTSS). Research shows that PFCC improves quality of care & quality of life. The current shift in payment reform & service delivery away from disease or provider-focused models and toward incentives that reward better coordination, communication, and continuity of care, is likely to promote wider adoption and effective implementation of PFCC.

How can our mainstream aging organization provide inclusive and welcoming services to older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults? Aging service providers should be aware that the effects of a lifetime of stigma, discrimination, rejection and ridicule puts LGBT older adults at greater risk for physical & mental illnesses, and other issues including: social isolation; depression & anxiety; poverty; chronic illnesses &; premature mortality.

How many older adults in your state have experienced a fall—and who is working to improve those numbers? The following documents were created to assist in education activities supporting falls prevention initiatives for older adults.

How many people have participated in federally supported evidence-based health promotion programs in your state—and who is involved in these efforts? Find out in our new state profiles compiled by NCOA’s Center for Healthy Aging. The downloadable profiles provide facts about health challenges facing seniors, as well as state efforts to improve older adult health.

The Money Follows the Person (MFP) Demonstration supports state efforts to help Medicaid beneficiaries living in long-term care facilities transition back to community-based residences and to make community-based long-term care services and supports more accessible. This report uses aggregate data from annual financial reports and service claims records submitted by grantees to examine the costs and types of community-based services received by participants in the MFP program.

This manual is meant to help community-based programs assess their individual needs, plan & implement volunteer respite programs and assist state Lifespan Respite programs as they address the requirements in the Lifespan Respite Care Act to build respite capacity through volunteer training & recruitment. Review text boxes throughout the document with resources for reading further, highlights of National Volunteer Respite Initiatives plus examples of local volunteer respite programs.

Review the data products and publications from a new survey about Residential Care Facilities. Included are residential care facilities; assisted living residences; board & care homes; congregate care; enriched housing programs; homes for the aged; personal care homes; & shared housing establishments that are licensed, registered, listed, certified, or otherwise regulated by a state. NSRCF is designed to produce national estimates of facilities and their residents.

States serve a large number of people with dementia & caregivers in their Aging Networks & LTSS systems. This involves accommodating the needs of a population experiencing a variety of physical, cognitive, & behavioral symptoms from dementia, along with other medical conditions. This brief discusses why states should be concerned about dementia capability in their LTSS systems, describes the components of model dementia-capable systems, & reports how states have addressed dementia capability.