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In November 2010, UnitedHealthcare and the National Alliance for Caregiving conducted a study in order to better understand how family caregivers use home technologies in order to assist them in caring for their loved ones while allowing them to remain independent. Explore the study's key findings in order to learn more about 12 particular technologies that have been found to be helpful, perceived barriers to using technology, and influencing factors on family's use of technology.

This article presents an overview of the direct-care workforce, touching upon training requirements, demographics, wages and benefits, and employment settings. It notes that, despite the U.S. needing more direct-care workers than ever, job quality in the field remains extremely low. The article proceeds to list several ways that policymakers and employer practices can improve the quality of direct-care jobs. The article was written by PHI Director of Policy Research, Dorie Seavey.

The Stakeholder Partnerships, Education and Communication (SPEC) Disability Initiative aims to educate SPEC partners and taxpayers with disabilities on available tax credits, deductions, and free tax help. Using results for the 2009 Benchmark survey, read this report for an update of the 2007 Disability Report, to better understand the characteristics and services used by taxpayers with disabilities, and to identify possible outreach strategies.

In order to address the alarming amount of patients harmed by medical mistakes in the health care system, the Obama Administration has launched the Partnership for Patients: Better Care, Lower Costs. This public-private partnership will help improve the quality, safety, and affordability of health care for all Americans. Use these links to learn more and to join the Partnership.

Most Social Security Disability Insurance beneficiaries complete a 5-month waiting period before cash benefits entitlement and a 24-month waiting period before Medicare benefits. The Accelerated Benefits randomized experiment tests the effects of providing beneficiaries without health insurance with a benefits package during the waiting period. Read this article for findings on the prevalence of health insurance coverage among beneficiaries and the characteristics of those without insurance.

How is the state of Connecticut providing recognition for employers who effectively recruit and retain individuals with disabilities? This article, put out by DiversityInc, is one example. Within this article, find a replicable format for acknowledging exemplary leadership and dedication by companies in hiring and promoting people with disabilities. Also, they have an alert system that informs readers when new articles are available.

The National Post-School Outcomes Center (NPSO) developed a toolkit to assist States and local education agencies, their stakeholders, and partners in using post-school outcome data to improve programs for youth with disabilities. The Data Use Toolkit consists of two components: preparing and sharing post-school outcomes data and examining local post-school data. Explore this guide for facilitators to learn more.

This policy brief is the third in a series reviewing U.S. studies that measured behavioral outcomes associated with the movement of people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities from institutions to community residential settings. Read this brief to learn more about the trends in deinstitutionalizing across states over the past three decades and find updates on earlier reviews as it relates to adaptive behavior.

This latest installment of Health Affairs' new series The Care Span, supported by The SCAN Foundation, identifies several ways to strengthen transitional care processes through health reform provisions. Most of the interventions led to reductions in readmissions through at least thirty days after discharge. To learn about the recommendations and proposed strategies, peruse this publication.

This comprehensive body of work makes a major contribution to the design and workability of the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Plan. CLASS creates a voluntary, federally-administered insurance program to help individuals pay for needed assistance in a place they call home if they become functionally limited. These in-depth analyses from industry and academic experts shed light on critical issues and are pivotal for successful marketing and uptake of the program.