Aging/Older Adults

What curricula are used to train paid and unpaid individuals caring for older adults in the home? The authors conducted a 4-month search to identify and categorize existing curricula nationwide. It was used as a discussion primer for a March 2007 conference that sought to discuss specialized vs. comprehensive training models, standards, and possible credentialing for caregivers and training programs. Contact information for the curricula discussed is provided.

Methods for evaluating MFP are mapped out in detail. The report explains the design of the analyses of implementation, impact, and outcomes. It also describes research questions to be answered and methods for tracking the 31 programs. Finally, the synthesis of information and format of the presentation of findings is discussed.

In FY09, 27 states expect budget shortfalls at the same time that HCBS and other services administered by State Units on Aging nationwide experience increased demand. NASUA surveyed 44 states and the District of Columbia about their strategies for coping with this situation. These include creating or increasing waiting lists, cutting budgets, reduced staffing and travel, and adjusting program elements such as eligibility.

The Committee compiled a brief inventory of all research and demonstration projects supported by federal agencies. Program details are not provided, but the report does describe the diverse strategies used by 27 agencies to research and support HCBS. Fields covered include biomedical sciences, housing, environmental protection, preventive care, and hospice care, among others.

AARP offers a list of resources to help plan for long-term care. Especially helpful is the “Staying in Your Home” section. Here you can find tools on preparing homes for aging in place, locating quality home and community-based services, and hiring home care workers.

This compendium describes regulatory provisions and Medicaid policy for residential care settings in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It updates an earlier report completed in 2004. This provides an overview of residential care and assisted living policy, a comparison of state’s policy in selected areas, and summaries of each state's regulations for residential care settings, including assisted living facilities.

This report estimates that public financial and personal clinical outcomes can be improved by moving dual eligibles to capitated managed care. The authors view the clinical and eligibility characteristics of dual eligibles as well-matched to the strengths of integrated care programs. The document lays out the reasoning and data behind the estimate, recommends policy changes needed to make the transition, identifies potential barriers to implementation and offers examples from KY and MN.

The Work Incentives Planning and Assistance Projects or WIPAs were funded by 104 new grants awarded throughout the U.S. and the U.S. territories in 2006 to this SSA grantee program. These grants were created to assist SSA disability beneficiaries by providing information about work incentives, benefits planning, and making good choices about work. This website is a resource for consumers, providers and employment and vocational networks.

This study provides a detailed profile of Hispanic family caregivers to determine how they differ from non-Hispanic caregivers and to explore their information and service needs. Key findings regarding incidence of family caregiving situations, demographics, care intensity, reported stress levels, and cultural beliefs, and others are presented. The authors also discuss policy implications of the findings.

Four articles provide an update of where the Older Americans Act (OAA) and the Aging Network stand in the face of demographic, economic, and health care issues. The first two cover the history of the legislative and budgetary developments of the network and report on a national survey of Area Agencies on Aging. The third summarizes political vagaries that network agencies encounter. The last advocates that civic engagement efforts must expand to cover disadvantaged and vulnerable older adults.