Respite

State aging & disability agencies are operating in an era of state agency reorganization, re-conceptualization of state government, & restructuring of long-term services & supports delivery systems & financing. Key elements driving continued change include the economic environment, ACA implementation, uncertainty in the federal budget particularly with the failure of the Congressional Super Committee, changes in state level leadership, & the 2012 elections.

While caregivers of veterans face similar situations as family caregivers in general, they also have unique challenges. The study reveals how providing care affects these caregivers’ lives, what organizations and information sources have been helpful to them, and what programs and services would support and assist them. Attached are links to the Full Report, Executive Summary in English and Spanish, Press Release, and a Key Findings Fact Sheet.

Ten grants were awarded to states to develop a profile of the publicly funded LTC system and to assist CMS to develop national benchmarks that will be used to measure the degree and success of states' efforts to offer community based LTC services. Review Michigan’s report which focuses on the priority population of the elderly and adults with physical disabilities, but also includes systems that serve adults with developmental disabilities, adults with mental illness and children.

This handbook explains the Consumer Choices Option available in Iowa. It explains the process of creating quality support services. The handbook talks about how you can have choices in your life-choices about where you live, where you work, and who you can count on for support.

This study of the Cash & Counseling demonstration program for adults in the three participating states examines how a new model of consumer-directed care changes the way that consumers with disabilities meet their personal care needs and how that affects their well-being. Demonstration enrollment, which occurred between December 1998 and July 2002, was open to interested beneficiaries who were eligible for PCS under their state Medicaid plan.

What are some of the highlights and milestones of the CLP programs? Review the presentations given at the The Gerontological Society of America Annual Meeting on November 19-22, 2009. Officials from the Administration on Aging and representatives from Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts and New York on presented.

The purpose of this report is fourfold: 1) to present a brief overview of the results of the Systems Change grants awarded from FY 2001 through FY 2004, 2) to describe the remaining challenges to community living that Grantees identified, 3) to provide Grantees’ recommendations for actions needed at the state and federal level to further improve their long-term care systems, and 4) to discuss the key lessons learned regarding factors that are needed to improve states’ long-term care systems.

Planning documents show how Connecticut will use a Cash & Counseling model to provide flexible service choices to keep people out of institutions. The narrative gives details such as the state’s current rebalancing status, goals and objectives, approach, challenges, service options, training and eligibility. The work plan details “Choices at Home” key tasks, lead person and time frame associated with each major objective.

Recognizing caregivers' needs, many federal and state lawmakers have spent the past several years introducing legislation to provide supports to caregiving families. Unfortunately, fiscal crises and other pressing social concerns have meant that few of these proposals have actually passed or been enacted. Trends in caregiver legislation introduced in 2007 and 2008 are summarized and those that have been successful are highlighted.

Quality surveys were developed to be administered by consumers to other consumers and their families. They measure in-home attendant care, habilitation, and respite services delivered. In addition to surveys are materials used to train the interviewers, survey response thresholds, and a presentation outlining survey findings.