Aging/Older Adults

This ILRU publication addresses common myths about abuse against people with disabilities by personal assistance providers and family members. The newsletter also addresses the personal barriers to stopping abuse and violence. This issue is Vol. 3, Issue 1.

Surveying Maryland’s 3,180 dual eligibles who are enrolled in hcbs waiver programs, the author finds that the end-of-2005 transfer of prescription drug coverage from Medicaid to Medicare under the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 could put these beneficiaries in jeopardy. The experience in MD is likely to be typical for other states. The paper recommends a number of federal policy remedies, including 90-day prescriptions, using open or shared formularies, & lengthening the enrollment period.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) invite proposals for grants in three categories: a. Family-to-Family Health Care Information and Education Centers b. Systems Transformation Grants c. Aging & Disability Resource Centers. In FY 05, during the consolidated appropriations process, Congress appropriated $39 million to fund a new round of RCSC grants. States and other eligible organizations, in partnership with their disability & aging communities, may submit proposals until 7/7/05.

For older adults and individuals with disabilities, some website designs can pose access problems. Users may be unable to use a website’s navigational menu, fill out online forms, or even access content. Addressing accessibility issues is important. This brief addresses the adaptation of standard website construction techniques to meet the needs of the target populations. It includes considerations & strategies for design that are informative, functional and useful for these populations.

This is the third in a series of newsletters produced at the Exchange to provide assistance to our CMS Real Systems Change grantees. This newsletter is produced biannually. Topics include: Physicians’ Role in Determining Level of Care, Nurse Practice Policies for Home and Community Living, ADRC Toolbox, Massachusetts Connecting the Dots, Making Medicaid Work in the 21st Century, Assessment Instruments, HCBS Quality Management Roles & Responsibilities, Family Caregiving, and Housing.

This inventory represents a select group of caregiver assessment measures specifically chosen for practical application by practitioners who work with family and informal caregivers of older persons and adults with disabilities. The purpose in compiling this inventory is to provide a compendium of caregiver assessment measures that is practice-oriented, practical and applicable, and which conceptually addresses the multidimensional aspects of the caregiving experience.

This monograph summarizes the history of caregiver assessment; considers the reasons for assessing family care; discusses what, whom, when & where to assess; illustrates areas to assess; highlights examples of existing tools; explores commonalities as well as differences in caregiver assessment instruments; points out areas of caregiver assessment that have been neglected; identifies best practice criteria to consider in designing & implementing assessments; & discusses training issues.

The Alliance for Health Reform offered a briefing on Medicaid fundamentals, for those wanting to brush up on their knowledge as well as those new to the subject. Speakers included Senator Jay Rockefeller, Alliance for Health Reform, Ed Howard, Alliance for Health Reform, Diane Rowland, Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured Rodney Whitlock, Senate Finance Committee Republican Staff, Alan Weil, NASHP The transcript, materials, webcast and evaluation are all available.

In the spring of 2005, Minnesota’s Department of Human Services, Aging & Adult Services, will be conducting a Consumer Experience Survey of 600 Elderly Waiver clients. Piloted with 90 EW clients, the current version reflects experiences and feedback from the Quality Design Commission members. The survey instrument is designed to discover the types of help people need to stay in their home, whether or not they are getting that help, & how satisfied they are with their help and quality of life.

The sixth biennial edition of the AARP Public Policy Institute's databook, presents an overview of long-term care in each state plus the District of Columbia by using numbers, graphs, charts, and maps. Data includes each state's demographics, need for LTC and HCBS services, the number of LTC workers per thousand people aged 65 and over, urban average for private-pay home health aide wages, and CNA hours per resident day. Each state is compared with others through rankings and national averages.