Aging/Older Adults

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.

Explore innovative initiatives from across the nation offering alternatives for reforming the delivery of Medicaid-funded long-term care. This report includes both innovations that have been implemented as well as promising practices. Innovations included cover provider-focused initiatives, new directions for managed long-term care, administrative and financing solutions; and emerging telehealth technologies.

Through the use of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), agreements between agencies can be formalized. This paper discusses the process an agency should follow to develop interagency MOUs and presents examples of MOUs which can be used as models. It was originally prepared for the agencies participating in the National Long Term Care Channeling Demonstration Program, but has since been widely adapted and disseminated.

Learn about the purpose, goals and activities of ADRCs. This course is geared towards ADRC staff, as well as others serving people with needs for long-term care information, services and supports. It includes a description of resources available on the ADRC-TAE website as well as links to other valuable resources. This course is helpful for anyone who wants to learn about the current trends in LTC policy at the federal, state, and local levels.

Policy makers desire a uniform assessment tool that works well for adults of all ages, but disability assessment can only be as uniform as the underlying measurement is. If ADL or IADL/ADL measures are biased by age, their use with adults of different ages could be misleading. Findings of this study indicate that as demand for community services increases among adults of all ages, an expanded IADL/ADL measure is more useful than ADL.