Aging/Older Adults

ACL has annouced a redesign of their Nutrition and Aging Resource Center website. Content has been reorganized into key sections, including training and tools, success stories, and data and evaluation. A broad range of subsections further organize content into categories such as innovative models and events.

NCOA and the Leading Age LTSS Center at UMass Boston released two issue briefs exploring the effects of pandemic-related food insecurity among older adults. The findings highlight the positive impact of SNAP in reducing food insecurity and call on the need for SNAP benefits provided by the American Rescue Plan to be permanent and consider increased food costs moving forward.

This episode of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast discusses ways to address inequities in Medicaid. Ben Shaffer, Medicaid Director at the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and Kelly Cunningham, Interim Medicaid Administrator at the Illinois Division of Medical Programs, Department of Healthcare and Family, will be sharing how effective data measurement is critical for Medicaid programs to advance equity and better understand the populations served.

This survey is intended to collect data on the experiences of aging and disability community-based organizations (CBOs) contracting with health care entities. This data will help the Business Institute develop resources to support CBOs at all stages of the health care contracting journey, as well as inform policymakers and health care professionals on the growing capacity of aging and disability CBOs.

Ranking Member Tim Scott (R - S.C.) sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) calling for improvements in Medicaid HCBS. The letter asks CMS to describe their efforts to combat fraud and their efforts to create a set of standard quality measures.

The New York Academy of Medicine, with support from ACL, has created the Older Adults Equity Collaborative Resource Library to help advance equity in aging services. This digital library collects resources for diverse populations of older adults, their caregivers, and aging service providers. It also provides technical assistance and training to the aging services network to better serve a diverse population of older adults.

On June 24, 2021, the Better Care Better Jobs Act, S. 2210, was introduced in the United States Senate and referred to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance. The bill would expand access to home and community-based services (HCBS) by providing $100 M for states to expand access to Medicaid HCBS and strengthen the HCBS workforce, and provide states a 10% increase in the Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) for HCBS.

Wellsky has published a paper detailing how proactive action by states, health systems, and communities can reduce the number of seniors experiencing homelessness. The paper discusses the following topics: why skyrocketing senior homelessness is virtually inevitable in the coming years; how health and human services in your state or community will be affected; and what actions can best help specific segments of the senior homeless population.

Paula Basta, M.Div., Director, Illinois Department on Aging and ADvancing States Member, wrote a guest blog post for ACL about the unique challenges of LGBTQ+ older adults. The blog post highlights the specific struggles this population is facing in Illinios regarding descrimination, representation in aging services, chronic and mental health, and securing access to care, as well as touches on some inititiaves that are being developed to address these issues.

NCOA has partnered with the Medicare Rights Center to develop a toolkit for counselors who work with dual eligibles and beneficiaries themselves. This toolkit was created following interviews and focus groups with counselors and will be updated continually.