Aging/Older Adults

This report, by the University of Massachusetts at Boston and Community Catalyst, shares information collected from family caregiver listening sessions. The sessions were intended to give family caregivers the opportunity to communicate their challenges, needs, and suggest recommendations for services, supports and policies. Findings from the sessions cover topics including emotional and financial stress, caregiving education and training, workplace flexibility, and tax policy change.

Community Care Corps has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for innovative local models in which volunteers assist family caregivers or directly assist older adults or adults with disabilities with non-medical care to maintain their independence. The purpose of the project is to establish, enhance, or grow volunteer programs for family caregivers, older adults, and people with disabilities.

CFPB released a new resource for older homeowners who have a reverse mortgage loan. The guide, You have a reverse mortgage: know your rights and responsibilities, provides reverse mortgage borrowers with information on their ongoing obligations with their Home Equity Conversation Mortgage (HECM), the most common type of reverse mortgage loan. Topics include how a borrower may pay-off the loan, what happens after the borrower moves out of the home or dies, what heirs need to know, and more.

In our capacity as a sub-grantee to the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC), we were pleased to invite SLTCOs to a webinar on May 13, 2021. Regrettably, the past few years have been scarred by various disasters including wildfires, severe winter storms, and COVID-19 pandemic. This webinar was for SLTCOs, to inform thinking and planning around disaster mitigation and management. Attendees heard from leaders from two states on their recent experiences responding to disasters.

On May 13, 2021, the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the HHS announced the creation of a National Advisory Committee on Seniors and Disasters (NACSD). The NACSD will be implemented by ASPR and will provide guidance to HHS regarding preparing for, responding to, and recovery from disasters with a focus on the unique needs of older adults. HHS is currently accepting applications from individuals interested in serving on this committee. The deadline to apply is June 12.

To honor May as Older Americans Month and prepare for World Elder Abuse day on June 15, 2021, CFPB has released a series of free resources to support financial caregivers and inform older Americans about their options.

The American Association on Health and Disability released their findings from the AAHD Vaccine Hesitancy Survey Among Adults with Disabilities, an online study of the perspectives of adults with disabilities on the COVID-19 vaccine. Their Vaccine Hesitancy Among Adults with Disabilities Research report explores general vaccine hesitancy, distrust and barriers to vaccine access among adults with disabilities.

The National Academy of Social Insurance published a new issue brief about universal LTSS programs in Europe and Asia. This brief provides an overview of the existing approaches abroad to the provision of universal LTSS, and considers lessons from an in-depth case study of Germany.

ACL issued grants totaling $1.4B to help older adults recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, funded through the American Rescue Plan. These grants will help provide meals and nutrition services, support family caregivers, help older adults connect and engage with others to reduce social isolation, re-open senior centers, and help residents of nursing homes resolve complaints.

On Tuesday, May 4, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released a Center Informational Bulletin (CIB) discussing the recent extension of the HCBS spousal impoverishment policies. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 extended the requirement that Medicaid programs apply spousal impoverishment protections until September 30, 2023. CMS also described plans to release future guidance regarding options for income and asset disregards.