All States/Territories

People receiving long term supports and services are frequently at risk for repeated hospital admissions, and patient care after a hospital stay is often fragmented and uncoordinated. Several types of technologies that have potential to support post-acute care transitions are discussed in this position paper. Studies suggest that the use of such technologies can lead to fewer hospitalizations and emergency room visits, high patient satisfaction and acceptance, and reductions in cost of care.

The “Creating Aging-Friendly Communities” online conference was designed to capture knowledge being accumulated by researchers, advocacy groups, grassroots organizations, and local governments across the U.S., and make it available to others interested in learning what they could do to make their communities more aging friendly. This article describes the conference and supporting Web site.

Five innovative states (Arizona, Hawaii, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin) with demonstrated expertise in managed care approaches for individuals with long-term care needs are featured in this report. The resulting “roadmap” outlines 10 critical mileposts for successfully designing models for managed LTSS. It also identifies key ACA provisions that support state efforts to improve long-term care delivery.

Unemployment of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) continues to be a significant public policy concern. This report looks at statistics over a 20-year period from several national data sets that address the status of employment and economic self-sufficiency for this population, and contains an overview of national trends, an in-depth perspective on how states collect and use employment data, and an Appendix with individual state and national profiles.

America's rural communities contain the nation's highest concentrations of older people. Learn about the results of a 13-year, $13-million national program created in 1992 by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and NCB Capital Impact to develop affordable assisted living models, with a focus on smaller and rural communities and low-income seniors. Learn about the strategy, program design, implementation, results and lessons learned.

There are wide variations in the incidence of disability among different groups of the population. A higher rate of disability means an increased likelihood of needing long-term services and supports. “Reducing disability among disadvantaged groups would result in more equal health outcomes and substantial savings in long-term care costs,” according to this report. Read this analysis on the trends of disability among different population groups.

To provide a look at the various provisions of the new health reform law on LTC, a distinguished panel of experts addressed questions such as: What are the provisions of the law pertaining to LTC? How will consumers, providers and states be affected? What are the major components of the CLASS Act, and what are some of the challenges for states and the federal government in implementation? Access the presentations, transcript, event summary, podcast and more.

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.

Growth in the cost of long-term care services in the U.S. has slowed somewhat during the past two years. As home health care gains in popularity, however, costs are beginning to rise more rapidly and are expected to increase steadily over the next few years. Read about these trends and more in this 2010 study that looked at consumer perceptions and cost trends by state and key metropolitan areas.

Help preserve an individual's right to make decisions about their life. Find the least restrictive ways to provide them with care, supervision and support they need. This resource is both a course and a reference guide to help people learn about guardianship and its alternatives to help make informed decisions. While geared towards friends and family, care coordinators, support staff, case managers and attorneys may find the information useful as a review and reference for their clients.