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ADvancing States released today a new report on the current state of enabling technology in LTSS programs. The report offers recommendations for state action as well as identifies supports that our Federal partners can offer to states as they explore ways to help older adults and people with physical disabilities live as independently as possible. Finally the report highlight some best practices across the country in both Medicaid and aging programs.

The VA's Caregiver Support Program (CSP) has selected "Caregiving and Wellbeing Coaching" as its Resource of the Month for July 2024. This resource focuses on empowering caregivers by prioritizing their health and well-being. Caregivers work with a trained CSP team member to develop a plan to improve their physical, emotional, and mental health, guided by the VA's Whole Health approach. This coaching is available at no cost to caregivers enrolled in CSP’s Program of General Caregiver Support Services and Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers. It offers personalized coaching, planning, and support to help caregivers improve their overall well-being.

The KFF released a report reviewing Medicaid and CHIP eligibility, enrollment, and renewal policies throughout the unwinding of continuous enrollment. The report highlights state actions to improve automated renewal rates, streamline the renewal process, and steps being taken to improve coverage for children. The report focuses on polices for children, pregnant individuals, parents, and other non-elderly adults whose eligibility is based on Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) financial eligibility rules. States report that the biggest challenges faced during unwinding are unclear federal guidance, workforce issues, and the volume of work. Read the report to learn more.

Justice in Aging has released an issue brief intended to equip state oral health, aging, and disability advocates with education and advocacy tips on how to leverage Medicaid waivers to expand access to oral health and address disparities in access to dental treatment. The issue brief begins with an explanation of Medicaid waivers, including what they do and who they impact. This is followed by state-specific examples illustrating how Medicaid waivers can both expand the scope of coverage available and address barriers to care.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a strategic framework for a national plan on aging, aiming to advance healthy aging and age-friendly communities. The report involves input from federal agencies and various stakeholders including older adults, family caregivers, and the aging services network. The national plan on aging will advance best practices for service delivery, support development and strengthening of partnerships within and across sectors, identify solutions for removing barriers to health and independence for older adults, and more. Key aspects include service delivery, health care access, affordable housing, and economic security.

The Administration for Community Living has released the 2023 Profile of Older Americans, which provides statistics on the U.S. older adult population using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Center for Health Statistics, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Profile illustrates the shifting demographics of Americans 65 and older. It includes key topic areas such as future population growth, marital status, living arrangements, income, employment, and health.

On March 28, the Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued a “scam alert” regarding criminals who are impersonating SSA OIG agents and requesting that their targets meet them in person to hand off cash. SSA OIG reports that this recent method of handing cash directly to a phony agent is a dangerous twist on a known scam tactic that pressures individuals to pay in a specific way by using cash or gift cards. SSA OIG and official government agencies do not conduct business in this manner. SSA OIG reminds individuals that if they think they have been scammed to notify financial institutions to safeguard their accounts and file a police report...

Best Programs for Caregiving (bpc.caregiver.org) is a new website from the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging and Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) that provides information about top-rated dementia caregiving programs and services directly to family caregivers. It includes almost 50 evidence-based caregiver support programs across the U.S. that help caregivers access resources, improve their hands-on skills, reduce stress, and navigate caregiving practices. The website includes a zip code look-up feature to identify programs that are offered in-person within a geographic area and essential information about those programs. The website also includes information about 15 programs that are available anywhere in the country...

The AARP Public Policy Institute created the AARP Nursing Home COVID-19 Dashboard to provide data about the virus’ spread among nursing homes and the impact it has on nursing home residents and staff. The purpose of this dashboard is to address at-risk areas at the national and state levels quickly.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health recognizes National Minority Health Month during the month of April. CMS OMH raises awareness about health disparities that disproportionately impact people from historically marginalized communities. CMS is committed to identifying where health care disparities exist and works to improve health equity across their programs and policies. CMS focuses on incorporating the perspective of lived experiences and integrating safety net providers and community-based organizations into their programs to eradicate differences in health outcomes experienced by people who are disadvantaged or underserved. This article includes a list of resources to be shared to spread awareness.