Research / Journal abstracts

Future life planning is a growing concern among families with children with disabilities. This article presents a needs assessment evaluating feasibility of a new model for future life planning for family caregivers, Lifetime Assistance, which will provide ongoing planning and monitoring for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Findings show that caregivers overwhelmingly identified the need for the program and many were willing to pay for it themselves.

Self-directed programs that allow individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to exercise greater control over their finances have become increasingly common, however challenges in the recruitment, retention and training of direct support workers have grown more acute. In this article, the authors investigate the status of the Direct Support workforce for people using self-directed supports in one Midwestern state, based on the results of a statewide survey of service users.

High caregiving stress has been associated with poor physical and psychological health, and with increased mortality among spouse caregivers. This study examined the differential effects of stress on stroke and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk by race and sex. Caregiving strain was significantly associated with higher estimated risk for men, particularly African American men, providing caregiving to their wives.

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.

According to the results of this survey, the most significant factors that drive turnover among home care workers are wages, intrinsic rewards, age (older workers are less likely to leave their jobs), and education level (more years of education result in higher retention). The study involved a sample of 116 home care aides employed by three agencies.

Hiring relatives as caregivers remains a controversial policy issue. This two-state case study reports findings about views from policy experts regarding a policy option to hire family caregivers in HCBS long-term care programs. Policy makers also discussed information needed by other states considering this option and effective approaches to disseminate findings about this option from the Cash & Counseling Demonstration Evaluation.

A study was conducted to identify current definitions, issues and strategies related to the use of PAS in the workplace. Participants were employees with disabilities who used PAS in the workplace as well as employers. More than 30 articles were reviewed and a comprehensive search of bibliographic resources was conducted. The study revealed an increasing need for PAS, and highlighted fiscal and societal barriers to the full implementation of PAS at work.

Find out about a pilot program at four affordable housing properties for older adults in Washington, DC. With input from service coordinators, residents, and family caregivers, a two-part workshop was designed to increase caregiver capacity while strengthening the coordination between caregivers and service staff. Caregivers who participated in the workshops reported feeling more confident in their roles as well as more knowledgeable of resources.

Health Affairs has published a special issue devoted entirely to long-term care. Review articles on providers, issues related to Medicare and Medicaid, transition and diversion programs, new state strategies to meet LTC needs, quality of care, demographic issues, policy and financing, health spending, caregivers and the workforce, and palliative care and end-of-life.

Explore the use of social marketing principles to enhance enrollment in the C&C Demonstration and Evaluation (CCDE). In this study, focus groups were conducted in Arkansas and Florida. Several lessons emerged from the findings including the importance of conducting process evaluation activities early during program implementation, carefully selecting and training personnel to conduct outreach and enrollment activities, and developing specific messages to include in marketing the cash option.