Aging/Older Adults

Explore the website of an independent, non-profit organization for long-distance caregivers. The site offers service directories to help locate local help and support, as well as information on topics such as evaluating needs and abilities, managing finances and legal documents and setting up caregiver family conferences. A number of related links and resources are offered including a secure repository for families to use in gathering information.

Find an estimate for the US of the costs over the next 20 years of providing public transportation to the advancing wave of older adults looking to maintain their independence. Investments recommended to address needs included more bus operator training and consideration of older adults’ needs in route planning and placement of transit stops. Capital enhancements include more low-floor and kneeling buses, improved interior circulation, additional grab bars and other accessibility features.

AoA has released a toolkit that provides the Aging Network and its partners with a replicable and easy-to-use method for providing services for any diverse community. The toolkit consists of a four-step process and a questionnaire that assists professionals, volunteers and advocates with every stage of program planning, implementation and service delivery for older adult communities, their families and caregivers.

Explore this collaborative initiative geared towards propelling state progress in the support of a more “successful and financially secure aging experience.” The West Virginia Long Term Care Partnership seeks to bring together varied efforts to create an integrated network of thought and action, with an emphasis on collaboration and communication. Also included is a link to the proceedings of their 2010 Partner Summit, through which you can access the presentations and handouts.

Review the results of a survey of the nationwide network of Area Agencies on Aging on their knowledge and opinions about senior transportation. The report provides baseline information about AAAs’ involvement in transportation advocacy, planning and service delivery, as well as information about the availability of senior transportation nationwide. The document is the first in a series of reports to be developed focusing on current challenges and new developments that impact senior mobility.

Learn about the status of the public LTC delivery system, and opportunities and obstacles for LTSS reform and rebalancing. The study surveys states’ current HCBS expenditures and utilization, analyzes factors underpinning Medicaid’s institutional bias, looks at federal and state initiatives to improve the ratio between institutional and community-based care, and points to statutory and regulatory “fixes” that could enhance the states’ ability to improve their LTC delivery systems.

To inform long-term care reform efforts, a web-based survey of over 1,000 LTC specialists nationwide was conducted. Findings included the need for LTC to be rebalanced toward HCBS settings, though few supported doing so by limiting nursing home bed supply. Although virtually all felt that the federal government was doing a poor job regulating LTC providers, most believed that the approaches used to oversee nursing homes should also be applied to assisted living.

What are the CLASS provisions for benefit determination, eligibility, enrollment, oversight, and administration of the program? This report discusses these issues as well as cost and financing for LTC services and the current market for private LTC insurance. Federal budget implications of the CLASS program, as estimated by the Congressional Budget Office and the CMS are explored. Finally, the report provides a timeline of CLASS program provisions enacted under PPACA.

Many obstacles impede states from rebalancing their long-term supports and services (LTSS) programs toward greater emphasis on HCBS alternatives. This brief outlines policy recommendations for reforming the Medicaid-funded LTSS system to support more cost-effective and consumer-oriented long-term care options. The authors discuss the current LTC environment, barriers and promising solutions to rebalancing LTSS, and policy recommendations for improving the Medicaid LTSS system.

More than two dozen proven examples of direct-care worker retention strategies are outlined in this report. The report includes key research findings in the literature that show which factors lead to an increase in retention, as well as key successful strategies and programs, including many tools, resources and contacts.