Aging/Older Adults

Oregon's Independent Choices Program allows Medicaid-eligible individuals to pay cash directly to providers for personal care and related services. Under this five-year project, participants receive a monthly cash payment and are fully responsible for the mechanics of payroll and budgeting for needed services.

This report describes a Florida cash payment program, Consumer Directed Care, which is testing the effectiveness of increased participant control for people with disabilities, including children and older persons. Florida is part of a demonstration project to measure the impact of substituting a cash allowance for Medicaid services from provider agencies. This document provides information on the program implementation and impact.

This document provides information on VNS Choice, the New York long-term care program for older people with disabilities. Case managers work with healthcare and long-term care providers to coordinate participants’ Medicare and Medicaid services. The document discusses the intervention and implementation of this program. According to program staff, VNS CHOICE has reduced hospital and nursing home use among participants and has low disenrollment.

This document focuses on Sunrise Towers, a public housing complex for older people in Laconia, New Hampshire. This form of public housing is modeled after assisted living and provides meals and personal assistance to keep residents in the community. The document describes the program, the services the program offers, and funding sources.

This document describes the State of Washington’s many resources specifically designed to facilitate the transition of nursing facility residents to less restrictive, community settings. The state also offers four funding sources for transitional services people may need when leaving a nursing facility. The document notes the specific programs, their implementation and impact.

In 1996, Vermont began to shift resources from nursing facilities to home and community-based services. To implement the legislation, several programs, new services, and policy changes were created that offered individuals more choices for long-term services. This report describes how Vermont changed its long-term care system to reduce institutional reliance by supporting people with physical disabilities and older people in the most appropriate and least restrictive environment possible.

Families USA has released Medicaid: Good Medicine for State Economies predicting the impact state Medicaid spending will have on business activity, jobs, & wages in 2005. The report argues that extending the $10 billion in fiscal relief provided by Congress to the states last year, through enhanced Federal participation in Medicaid, through the end of fiscal year 2005 would help strengthen state economies by generating even more business activity, jobs,& wages. Includes data for every state.

This document describes Utah’s efforts to educate nursing home residents about community-based long-term care options. Group and individual educational sessions and assessments are conducted through organizations knowledgeable about community services. The document provides further information on the implementation of this program.

This document describes Community Choice, New Jersey’s permanent, state-operated nursing facility transition program. The program provides information about nursing home alternatives and assistance moving from nursing facilities. This program’s implementation and impact are illustrated in this document.

This document describes Colorado’s Fast Track program, which aims to improve access to home and community-based services after a hospital discharge. In this program, staff work to facilitate quick eligibility determination for hospital patients who need long-term care after discharge. The program seeks to decrease unnecessary nursing home admittance. The implementation and impact of this program are described in the document.