Caregivers

This final report summarizes the findings from five years of research on how each of the three demonstration states implemented its program, and on how the programs have affected the consumers who participated, the consumers’ paid and unpaid caregivers, and the costs to Medicaid. The analysis is based on an experimental design to ensure that the estimates of program effects are unbiased, and has sample sizes that are adequate to detect program effects of policy-relevant magnitudes.

The National Health Policy Forum Issue Brief provides information about Systems Change grants and the kinds of activities state Medicaid agencies have undertaken to transform their institutionally based systems. This brief raises critical policy questions related to public spending for long-term care in different settings that might be considered in tandem with future grant funding decisions.

These three presentations provide information about the Utah Real Choice marketing and awareness efforts. The “UCare” program was established as part of the grant and the surveys were conducted in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Using telephone surveys, survey participants were asked about their awareness and understanding of the UCare program before and after the marketing campaign.

A publication that may be useful for legal guardians as they consider or prepare for a a transition planning process for the person they represent. This book guides the process in determining if a person can live in the community, and what that community living environment would need to look like. The purpose of this guidebook is to provide information about the variety of community residential options available to adults with developmental disabilities who relocate from State Centers.

The Montana Choice program created this booklet for individuals receiving personal assistance services in their home or would like to begin receiving services. The handout provides users with the resources needed to manage their care under the self-directed personal assistance program.

This booklet can assist individuals when they need help to remain in their own homes as a result of an accident, prolonged illness, disability or frailty that comes with age. It also provides individuals with the basic tips designed to walk through the many facets of hiring in-home help or what many consider a \"consumer-buying guide\" for a certain type of care.

This booklet was created by the Montana Choice program for people who are either receiving personal assistance services in their home or those persons who deliver personal assistance services in the home setting. The content focuses on the relationship between the personal assistant and the consumer. The booklet is divided into two sections: What is Personal Assistance and Am I a Good Personal Assistant?

What incentives help encourage in-home supportive services workers to remain in caregiving? A Connecticut College research team explores this question by surveying 2,200 workers. \"Flexibility and wages matter,\" the researchers note, \"research clearly shows that giving workers $10/hr plus access to decent benefits significantly increases the supply and retention rate of home care workers, making it possible for consumers to find good caregivers.\" The executive summary offers further results.

As the number of those needing care at home continues to grow, it is becoming more difficult to find workers. One solution is to rely on consumer-directed services, in which clients hire friends and family as paid caregivers (whom we call “related caregivers”). This study explored the experiences of related caregivers, most of which had not considered direct-care work if a loved one had not needed them and sought to understand who might represent potential home care workers in the future.

Some states incorporate caregiver support services into their programs that serve older people or adults with disabilities; in other states, it is separate with distinct eligibility criteria. Because many states are increasing HCBS funding, policymakers and administrators have a strong interest in emerging trends. This report highlights three: caregiver assessment, consumer direction in family caregiver support services, and collaborations between the aging network and the health care system.