Aging/Older Adults

CMS recently announced the 2023 Medicare costs, including premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts. The standard monthly Part B premium will decrease three percent or $5.20 – the first time in a decade the cost was lowered. CMS attributes the decrease in the Part B premium to lower spending on the Alzheimer drug, Aduhelm, and other Part B items and services.

A new Policy Spotlight from the Aging and Disability Business Institute and the National Council on Aging provides an overview of how telehealth has changed as a result of the pandemic. The Policy Spotlight outlines the current challenges related to access to telehealth, identifies opportunities for the Aging Network and discusses legislative actions for expanding telehealth.

A new Poll Extra from the National Poll on Healthy Aging takes a look at the impact of rising food costs on older adults, their overall diet, and food security. In all, three-quarters of people age 50–80 in the United States say the rising cost of groceries has affected them somewhat or a lot, and nearly a third of older adults say they are eating less healthily as a result.

Each September ACL celebrates the nation’s senior centers. The 2022 National Senior Center Month theme, is Strengthening Community Connections, and highlights the valuable role senior centers play in the community through connecting older adults with critical programs and services. In this blog post, ACL recognizes senior centers as partners in supporting the health and independence of older adults.

The Kaiser Family Foundation's new report, “Beneficiary Experience, Affordability, Utilization, and Quality in Medicare Advantage and Traditional Medicare: A Review of the Literature,” details their findings from an analysis of 62 studies published since 2016 comparing traditional Medicare to Medicare Advantage. The analysis reviewed beneficiary experience, affordability, service utilization, and quality measures. According to the report, the review “found few differences between Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare that are supported by strong evidence or have been replicated across multiple studies. Both Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare beneficiaries reported similar rates of satisfaction.

As an Area Agency on Aging (AAA), AgeSpan engages in innovative partnerships with housing providers through the Massachusetts Supportive Housing Program. In northeastern Massachusetts, AgeSpan pursues solutions that bring together housing and supportive services. Why? Many older adults and people with disabilities not only need afordable and accessible housing, but also supportive services that enable them to be as independent as possible. Assistance with nutrition, transportation, personal care, medication management, and chore services are just a few examples of these critical services.

The National Aging and Disability Transportation Center, a program of the Federal Transit Administration administered by Easterseals and USAging with guidance from ACL, is lookig for survey participants to share challenges and promising practices in providing accessible transportation to older adults and people with disabilities. Survey responses will help guide NADTC's work over the next year.

NCAL has announced the publication of its annual Assisted Living State Regulatory Review. The report summarizes key selected state requirements for assisted living licensure or certification. It includes information on the following topics for all the states and the District of Columbia: 1) which state agency licenses assisted living, 2) recent legislative and regulatory updates affecting assisted living, and 3) requirements for resident agreements, admission and discharge requirements, units serving people with Alzheimer’s or dementia, staffing, and training.

New data from USAging shows that existing shortages in the caregiving workforce have grown during the COVID-19 pandemic and make it difficult for older adults to age well in their homes. This new report from USAging reveals that many AAAs and their direct care provider partners across the country are facing workforce shortages hindering their ability to provide home and community-based services to older adults.

ADvancing States presentation at the NAPSA Conference on Medicaid and Adult Protective Services.