Caregivers

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), issued updated guidance for nursing homes to safely expand visitation options during the COVID-19 pandemic public health emergency. This latest guidance comes as more than 3 million doses of vaccines have been administered within nursing homes. Read the full guidance for more information.

The Center for Health Care Strategies, in partnership with the California Health Care Foundation as well as In-Sight Associates, Health Management Associates, and Schoen Consulting, is developing a series of resource packages that share best practices for supporting the integration of community health workers and promotores into programs run by Medicaid managed care plans for members of Medi-Cal. Download the resource to learn more.

On February 25. 2021, U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced the Continued Funding for Senior Services During COVID-19 Act to ensure continued federal support for our Nation’s seniors. This legislation would allocate more than $1.5 billion to the aging network to continue providing essential services, such as meal delivery, vaccine outreach and programming and caregiver support.

The Center on Aging and Trauma of The Jewish Federations of North America’s Holocaust Survivor Initiative, invites organizations to participate in a national survey on PCTI Care. This ACL grantee is working to build the capacity of aging service providers to provide PCTI care to older adults with a history of trauma as well as their family caregivers. They are conducting this survey to collect information on the current capacity of organizations to provide this type of care.

The purpose of this study is to examine the physical and mental well-being of community-dwelling older adults and their informal or unpaid caregivers during public health emergencies, such as COVID-19. This project also aims to identify public health interventions and strategies available to support older adults and caregivers during public health emergencies.

This brief shares considerations for health care organizations and government entities seeking to build effective partnerships with the individuals and communities they serve to better address their health and social needs. It draws from the experiences of two sites — Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis and the Los Angeles Department of Health Services Whole Person Care Program — that participated in the Community Partnership Pilot, a CHCS made possible by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

On behalf of The SCAN Foundation, Manatt Health identifies federal and state Medicaid flexibilities available to state officials and other stakeholders and how those flexibilities are being deployed during COVID-19 to help ensure access to LTSS. The resource guide also highlights state policy goals in implementing regulatory flexibilities available during COVID-19.

The National Council on Independent Living is seeking proposals for their Liberty, Independence, Freedom, and Equity themed 2021 conference. NCIL seeks workshops in the following tracks: Advocacy & Policy work, Independent Living 101, Core Services, Inclusion/Intersectional work, SILC. The submission deadline in March 28th 2021.

On January 14, 2021 ADvancing States sent out a call for information about how states are rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine to people receiving home and community-based services and/or Older Americans Act services. Information about logistics plans, schedules, partnerships, and communications strategies were all welcomed. This resource reflects the information states sent in response to the call and will be periodically updated as we receive more information.

The most recent issue of the Journal of Gerontological Social Work, A Tribute to Rosalie Kane: Honoring Her Life and Work as Scholar, Mentor, and Social Worker in Gerontology, is dedicated to the life and work of Rosalie Kane. Rosalie helped shape much of our current thinking about long-term services and supports (LTSS). The nine articles and commentaries cover topics ranging from the importance of learning participant preferences to the role of "quality of life" measures in evaluating LTSS.