Aging/Older Adults

The Profile of Older Americans compiles data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Center for Health Statistics, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to create a statistical summary of older Americans. The Profile focuses specifically on the population aged 65 and older and looks at changing demographics across individual categories, including population, income and poverty, living arrangements, education, health, and caregiving.

This report provides a summary of changes that states have made to their systems for connecting individuals to benefits and explores state agency changes, challenges, and opportunities related to benefits access and enrollment during the COVID-19 crisis. Data and findings are drawn from the ADvancing States 2020 COVID-19 Membership Survey.

The National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP released an update version of the Caregiving in the US report for 2020. The report contains updated data from research conducted since the report’s last release in 2015. Included in the report are data about caregiver prevalence and demographics, care recipient demographics, types of care caregivers provide, caregiver training and information needs, and other results from the research.

This week, the Senate Finance Committee released the language and summaries of legislation to help nursing home efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. The Act would call on nursing homes to ensure that a portion Federal relief funds, made available on or after July 1, for responding to COVID-19 would be used for personal protective equipment (PPE) and COVID-19 testing in long-term care facilities. The Act also has language for expanding resources for elder justice activities.

The Administration for Community Living compiled all of the OAA COVID-19 guidance into one, comprehensive guide. This reference guide includes information on disaster declarations, as well as guidance for nutrition, ombudsman, elder justice, and other supportive services programs. Information on fiscal guidance and reporting requirements are also included. Additionally, questions and answers from all-state calls have been added to the reference guide.

On July 2nd, ADvancing States, in partnership with n4a, Meals on Wheels America, and NANASP, submitted a letter to Congress requesting additional funding for OAA programs to continue providing COVID-related services and supports. The letter requests an additional $1.1 billion for these services, which was the combined total of OAA funding provided in the Families First Coronavirus Response and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Sercurity Acts.

This study highlights the systematic barriers that keep nearly three million low-income older adults from accessing programs that help pay for health care. This issue brief shows that one-third of people eligible for Medicare Savings Programs are not currently enrolled. Barriers to enrollment include lack of awareness around the programs or an inability to complete the process. This issue brief also identifies potential policy solutions for improving access to these assistance programs.

The Congressional Research Service has published an updated report on The Elder Justice Act. The report provides background on the legislation, breaks down the provisions in the Act, lays out different funding mechanisms, and highlights pertinent issues for Congress to consider.

This guide provides tools, resources, and best practices that the Aging Network can use as a reference to plan services and programs that are more inclusive to these diverse elders. The guide outlines background information on diverse elders; discusses how to asses the needs of this population and include them in the planning process; and highlights inclusive goals, objectives, and measures of success.

The MACPAC June 2020 Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP was created prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights long-term challenges facing Medicaid. Across six chapters, it discusses key issues including integrated care for dually eligible Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries, Medicare Savings Programs, and Medicaid's statutory role as the payer of last resort.