Reports

The Division of Health Policy and Management at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and the Minnesota Department of Health published a report in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association on identifying different approaches and indicators to evaluate the quality in assisted living communities in the United States. The report concludes that the lack of standardized measurement of quality interferes with person-centered care in US-based assisted living settings. The report identified 9 unique domains that they concluded should inform future concerted efforts to develop standardized quality measurements in assisted living communities.

To assist states designing and/or revising HCBS waivers, in this report ADvancing States analyzed how waiver language defines family caregivers and how those definitions relate to older adults without immediate family available as caregivers.

ADvancing States is pleased to publish findings from the Aging and Disability 2023 Information and Referral/Assistance (I&R/A) National Survey. This brief explores several dimensions of quality assurance and training, including I&R/A standards, quality assurance and improvement, outcome measures, staff training, and staff certification. The survey results demonstrate that agencies use a variety of means to ensure the quality of services provided. Quality assurance and training strengthen I&R/A service delivery and support effective services and outcomes.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report, "Homelessness: Actions to Help Better Address Older Adults' Housing and Health Needs". The GAO conducted this study due to the high levels of homelessness, the aging U.S. population, and rising housing costs which concerns researchers that a growing number of older adults could experience homelessness. The report explores the needs of older adults who experience homelessness and the challenges to addressing those needs. The study selected nine communities for diversity of geography and population density, and the GAO conducted nongeneralizable interviews with 45 service providers and 34 older adults with experience of homelessness. Read the report to learn more.

On Tuesday, September 17th, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Community Living, delivered a progress report to Congress on the federal implementation of the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers. This Strategy includes recommendations to ensure that family caregivers have the support and resources they need, along with commitments from fifteen federal agencies and 350 actions to implement these recommendations. To date, all of these actions have either been completed or are currently in progress. This report to Congress reflects the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing commitment to addressing the unmet needs of family caregivers across the country.

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 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.

This issue brief from Justice in Aging discusses the deficit in data regarding guardianship in the United States and the problems that has created for reform efforts in the guardianship system. The brief addresses the need for data to understand who is under guardianship, why they are under guardianship, and the risks marginalized older adults face but are not reported. The issue brief includes current data reform efforts recommendations to advance equity in guardianship.