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Care management has been recognized as a valuable service in supporting family members who care for their older adult relatives. TCARE® is a caregiver assessment and referral protocol designed to assist care managers. The major goal of TCARE® is to provide care managers with a set of steps that are needed to move from the assessment to the implementation of a care plan. Find a presentation on Georgia’s experience with their person-centered initiative and use of the protocol

States are developing comprehensive APS systems that include assessments, policies and procedures to assist staff in performing intakes, investigations, and case planning by providing a consistent approach to obtaining and evaluating information. The SDM® system is intended to promote the safety of vulnerable adults, identify and address their needs, decrease the incidence of self-neglect and maltreatment, enhance service delivery, and provide data for program administration.

The GQMS was developed to support continuous quality improvement to services delivered to individuals with intellectual disabilities in GA. The overall vision of the project was to enhance the service delivery system in order to produce results that reflect communicated choices and preferences that matter most to the individuals. The GQMS is based on CMS’ Quality Framework for Home and Community Based Services. Find their annual report and background information on the site.

Are you developing a participant handbook for your Veteran-Directed Home and Community Based Services program? Review state examples from Maine, Massachusetts, Texas, and Washington. These participant handbooks provide an overview of the VDHCBS program, the assessment process, developing a person-centered plan and individual budget, legal responsibilities as an employer, working with a Financial Management Services vendor, and more.

These informal, person centered thinking tools, created by The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices and the Inclusion Movement, were developed by cancer survivors to help individuals find empowerment or a sense of control in their experience. The website offers a number of on-line tools and worksheets that could be useful to individuals with disabilities and those who support them. Workshops, coffee chats and consultation sessions are offered as a way to help people use the tools.

States are confronting challenging budgets along with the need to implement health reform. Many are looking to improve long-term care as a way to control costs and serve seniors and people with disabilities in settings they prefer. This newsletter describes provisions in the Affordable Care Act that assist states in expanding HCBS, the growing movement to improve facility-based care, and innovative programs in three states that seek to provide consumer-directed long-term care.

Use this health literacy toolkit to make written material in printed formats easier for people to understand and use. Though the main focus is on material intended for use by individuals eligible or enrolled in programs, the guidelines also apply to material created for people who serve or assist them. The toolkit has 11 parts, including guidelines for writing and design, methods for testing with readers, and guidelines for translation.

A Geriatric Care Manager can maximize independence and autonomy for care recipients while supporting families and caregivers. This resource discusses the various roles that this professional can play. A number of useful technologies are also suggested, including web-conferencing, monitoring and assistive devices. According to the author, despite the costs of these technologies, keeping older adults in their homes is still less expensive than placement in nursing homes.

DB101 provides online tools, resources and information on health coverage, work and benefits for people with disabilities and those supporting them. Four states (California, Minnesota, Michigan and New Jersey) have their own sites, which include benefits calculators to help individuals understand how a job may affect total income and health coverage, or whether they may qualify for specific state programs. The resource is a product of the Employment and Disability Benefits Initiative.

How can we raise awareness that hiring individuals with disabilities makes good business sense? The mission of the DC Metro Business Leadership Network is to engage and inform regional businesses about the benefits of and resources available for active employment outreach to qualified individuals with disabilities. Attached are outreach materials created by this network.