Aging/Older Adults

This guide was created in conjunction with the Rural and Tribal Elder Justice Summit. The goal of the summit was to enhance the ability of elder justice professionals to respond to the unique needs of older adults residing in rural and tribal communities by sharing best practices and proposing innovative strategies to fill the identified gaps in service needs. This guide provides information and resources on the challenges rural and tribal communities face in responding to elder abuse.

On Thursday, November 15, 2018, the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) published an issue brief exploring the upcoming changes to spousal impoverishment policies in Federal Medicaid HCBS policy. This report provides an explanation of why spousal impoverishment policies exist, the changes made by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and the potential implications of the expiration of these ACA changes.

Affordable, accessible housing located in age-friendly communities is already in short supply. As the American population continues to age, demand for this housing will continue to increase. Additionally, many older adults are at risk of having insufficient resources to manage rising healthcare and housing costs in their later years and may struggle to pay for their housing and other basic necessities. This paper discuses these and other issues around housing for older Americans.

This report assesses the effectiveness of the Title III-C Nutrition Services Program (NSP) under the Older Americans Act. It describes the health and health care utilization of congregate meal and home-delivered meal participants. The report also examines overall wellness measured using longer-term outcomes related to health and avoidance of institutionalization.

NCEA has published their newest Elder Abuse Annual Research Compilation. This reference guide contains the latest primary and secondary literature related to elder abuse. Prominent areas of research highlighted in this compilation include financial, physical, psychological, sexual abuse and neglect, long-term care issues, and policy and intervention.

This recently released report examines the reforms, policy changes, and initiatives that occurred in FY 2018 and those adopted for implementation for FY 2019. The report focuses on changes in eligibility, managed care and delivery system reforms, long-term services and supports, provider payment rates and taxes, covered benefits, and pharmacy and opioid strategies.

This study from Milliman highlights the success that MLTSS programs have had in reducing institutional care for older adults and people with disabilities compared to states operating a fee for service system, both in absolute numbers as well as the acuity level of consumers receiving services in nursing facilities.

This three-part brief provides information on how collaborating with APS can help older adults and adults with disabilities who are subjected to abuse, neglect, or exploitation. Part one gives a general overview of APS, including program functions, policies, and practices. The second part covers APS abuse reporting, intake, screening, triaging, and investigation processes. The third and final section of this brief focuses on the importance of collaborating with APS during interventions.

The Elder Justice Compendium is a resource hub for civil legal aid attorneys and advocates working with older adults. The Compendium provides an overview of existing resources that are available to attorneys who are assisting victims of elder abuse. It is divided into different topic sections with a brief introduction to each subject area followed descriptions of available resources. Example topic areas include guardianship, scams, and client-centered advocacy.

This guide is intended to educate state advocates nationally about the expansion Medicaid-to-Medicare transition process, assist them in troubleshooting problems their clients are facing, and guide them as they explore potential improvements to current processes. State advocates can use this guide as a roadmap to help residents access Medicare and other insurance programs and ensure that Medicare beneficiaries receive the benefits for which they are eligible.