Direct Care Workforce

Explore this webinar which provided an overview of nurse delegation in HCBS, including information on how it can support Money Follows the Person initiatives, overcoming barriers in laws and nurse practice acts, and getting buy-in from nurses. Listen to the recorded webinar, review slides from the discussion of a pilot program in NJ and changes in ND to support nurse delegation. Susan Reinhard, RN, PhD, of AARP and a national expert on this topic moderated the webinar.

Is telecommuting a viable option for the disabled? The state of Vermont sent its’ Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors a self assessment asking just that, as well as a document outlying the risks of direct selling and multi-level marketing. The information in these documents provide counselors with a tool to help disabled workers find and retain work, and provide a general outline of information, including links to national online resources, which could be useful to any state.

Almost one third of the U.S. adult population plays a caregiver role, according to this new, comprehensive report that details the prevalence, implications, costs, and demographics of caregivers. The study was designed to replicate similar studies conducted in 2004 and 1997, and includes a sampling of those caring for children as well as adults.

There are a number of challenges for the direct service workforce in rural areas. Review an issue brief and a recorded webinar presenting strategies that stakeholders can use to provide high-quality long-term care services and supports. States engaged in development of their direct service workforce can use these to gain knowledge of the challenges and learn about some direct service related strategies that other states and rural agencies have implemented.

This bibliography summarizes current thinking about developing core competencies for all direct care workers, regardless of the setting they work in. It includes recommendations from six state-level reports, two national studies, and the federal Retooling the Health Care Workforce for an Aging America Act.

The three presentations provided here were part of the 2007 Government and Vendor Fiscal/Employer Agent Workshop. The presentations focus on current challenges and promising practices related to the provision of workers’ compensation insurance for Massachusetts, Illinois, and New Mexico programs.

This study assesses the effects of consumer direction on the experiences and well-being of the primary informal caregivers of children who participated in Florida's Cash & Counseling demonstration. Instead of Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) waiver benefits, the demonstration program provided a monthly allowance and let parents hire providers and manage the other services and goods their child needed.

Job descriptions for support brokers in New Mexico, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia are all available.

This report details the enrollment issues faced during implementation of the program. In addition, the report looks at consumer experiences including issues resulting from acting as an employer and effects on quality of life. The abstract (free) and full report (subscription required) are available.

This article highlights the specific importance of consumer participation in the pre- and post-survey focus groups, and how that participation enhanced program planners' understanding of survey results, informed the design of the CCDE cash option program, and identified messages to include in social marketing materials for cash option consumers.