Save the Date - Long-Term Care Discussion Group "MyWay MyLife - Enriched & Meaningful Living For Older Persons"

MyWay MyLife - Enriched & Meaningful Living For Older Persons Tuesday, May 24, 2011 - 2 p.m. Eastern Time

Claudia S. Blumenstock, President & CEO, Copernicus, Inc.

Renee Pruzansky, COO, AristaCare Health Services

AMERICAN BENEFITS COUNCIL
1501 M Street, NW, Washington, DC
Conf Center - Lower S Level
(Please note: you must RSVP in advance to get into the building)

The aging population creates demand for new and innovative choices in care leading to the emergence of unique and progressive options in senior and neighborhood communities. Five organizations have come together to assist communities in creating and enhancing life-enriched environments for the aging population and their caregivers, working together to reposition the view and model of “service” for older adults. Learn more about these concepts and MyWay MyLife which includes facilitating an individualized way of life within existing senior communities or home-based cultures; supporting purpose, meaning, and a sense of belonging through familiar experiences, consistent with one’s previous life; creating opportunities to share common interests in any senior or neighborhood environment; assuring that caregivers have unique experiences which have meaning for them and those for whom they care; and guiding communities to redefine the perception of ”care” using a process fostering an individualized and meaningful way of life.

Claudia Blumenstock, President & CEO of Copernicus, Inc., has a BA from the University at Albany and is a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator in NY. Specializing in assisting long term care, senior housing, and community-based organizations in creating & enhancing life-enrichment initiatives, Ms. Blumenstock has over 25 years of experience in the senior marketplace, strategizing and implementing an array of enhanced, resident-focused, lifestyle options. Ms. Blumenstock is the architect of “College Connections,” a collaborative product linking colleges & universities to active adult, senior housing & long term care organizations. Prior to establishing Copernicus, Inc., Ms. Blumenstock was VP of Business Development for Living Communities, LLC, an active adult & senior housing development company, specializing in niche market products.

Renee Pruzansky, COO of AristaCare Health Services, has a BA from the NY Institute of Technology and a Master’s degree from Columbia. Ms. Pruzansky oversees company operations, clinical programs, marketing, and PR; and runs sub-acute, long-term and specialized rehabilitation care facilities with a unique approach to creating, developing, and implementing niche health care programs. Ms. Pruzansky has over 15 years of experience in operations, marketing, sales, and PR in the health care marketplace. Prior to joining AristaCare, she was Director of Marketing and New Business Development at Nextron, a commercial pharmacy.

RSVP to Joyce Tower at jtower@univitahealth.com

Long Term Care Discussion Group Co-Chairs: Winthrop Cashdollar, John Cutler, Karl Polzer, Jill Randolph, and Eileen J. Tell

Leadership Council of Aging Organizations Consensus Statement on Older Americans Act Reauthorization

Introduction by LCOA on its consensus recommendations:

The Older Americans Act (OAA) is the major federal discretionary funding source for home and community-based services for older adults. Programs supported through the OAA include home-delivered and congregate nutrition services, in-home supportive services, transportation, caregiver support, community service employment, the long-term care ombudsman program, services to prevent the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older persons, and other supportive services. These programs provide vital support for those older adults who are at significant risk of losing their ability to remain in their own homes and communities, or who need support and protection in long-term care facilities.

In addition, OAA funds resource centers that support the work of the aging services network, these resource centers address a variety of needs, including access to benefits, elder justice, multigenerational service and volunteering, legal services, financial literacy, long-term care ombudsman training, and targeted services to minority and special populations in need.

To develop and implement the wide array of OAA services, a system of federal, state and local agencies and organizations, known as the Aging Network, was established. The core of the Aging Network is the U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA), 56 State and Territorial Agencies on Aging (SUAs), 629 Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), 246 Title VI Native American and Native Hawaiian aging programs, and more than 30,000 community-based service provider organizations. This critical aging infrastructure is the backbone of our nation’s home and community-based long-term services and supports system offering assistance to older adults. The Aging Network’s activities also benefit other populations such as people with disabilities and caregivers.

Supported by the OAA, the Aging Network has successfully served millions of older adults in the community and in long-term care facilities since 1965, and is positioned to assist the country’s growing aging population to remain healthy, active, and in their communities. With each reauthorization, the OAA has been adapted to meet the changing needs of this growing population, the changing role of family supports, and expanding research and technological advances, often with inadequate funding. Further, the Aging Network and its services have the potential to save the Medicare, Medicaid, and Veterans Administration programs billions of dollars each year by enabling older adults to stay in their homes and communities and out of hospitals and long-term care facilities.

This current reauthorization provides an opportunity to reassess the successes and shortcomings of the OAA’s ability to serve older Americans, particularly those with the greatest social and economic need. In these times of fiscal restraint, the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO) offers in this document recommendations for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the OAA in its delivery of core services and how it interacts and coordinates with other federal programs that serve older adults.

In order to maximize effectiveness, community-based services provided through the Aging Network must be coordinated and integrated with the various federal health care services that older adults receive. In addition, they must work hand in glove with other programs at the state and federal levels such as the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), fraud prevention programs, Senior Corps and other programs promoting community service, transportation programs, the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), the Adult Protective Services Program and other elder abuse-related programs.

The goal of the following LCAO recommendations is to authorize the AoA, the Assistant Secretary, and the programs and staff across the nation to fulfill their promise by giving them the tools, direction and flexibility to provide the services that the aging population of our nation demands. Our focus is on person and family-centered care with local flexibility to serve the needs of unique communities and sub-populations. LCAO’s recommended improvements do not require major changes to the OAA’s core services or eligibility requirements. LCAO strongly believes that increasing the authorized funding for all titles of the OAA is necessary; however, provision of adequate funding is just one of the ways that we propose to improve and expand services. Additionally, any new programs added to OAA should be given specific authorization levels.

With the population of older individuals expected to grow exponentially in the coming years, the aging network faces incredible challenges associated with the influx of older individuals into OAA programs. The LCAO, which has played a significant leadership role in past reauthorizations, is committed to a reauthorization that will strengthen the OAA for both the older adults currently receiving services and for the boomers who, in 2011, have begun turning 65 years of age.

We urge Congress to update and improve the Older Americans Act, while providing the funding needed for OAA programs to keep older Americans independent and productive, thereby saving federal and state government resources. Therefore, the LCAO makes the following recommendations to strengthen and enhance the OAA.

Full Document

Gay Couples Closer to Receiving Medicaid Spousal Protections - NYTimes.com

By TARA SIEGEL BERNARD

Same-sex couples are one step closer to receiving protections that heterosexual married couples get when they receive long-term care through Medicaid — that is, the healthy partner will be able to keep some of the ailing partner’s money and remain in their home.

At least, that’s the goal. Right now, only opposite-sex married couples receive those rights because the federal government doesn’t recognize same-sex marriage.

To qualify for long-term care through Medicaid, individuals generally have to spend their money until it’s practically depleted. But married couples can keep more money so that healthy spouses don’t have to impoverish themselves to qualify the sick spouse for care. Nor do they have to worry about giving up their home to raise money to pay back Medicaid for its services after their spouse dies. They can stay put for the rest of their lives.

As a work-around, the Obama administration is close to notifying the state-run Medicaid programs about how they can replicate these protections for same-sex domestic partners, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

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Iowa Senior Care Advocate's Job Plan, Silence Are Questioned | The Des Moines Register | DesMoinesRegister.com

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Written by CLARK KAUFFMAN (ckauffman@dmreg.com)

Iowa's top advocate for seniors in nursing homes wants to have her job performance evaluated by the industry she oversees.

At the same time, the director of the Iowa Department on Aging is telling the state's eight local long-term care ombudsmen that they should not speak out about a recent dramatic cut in the number of state nursing home inspectors.

"That is unconscionable," said John Tapscott, a former state legislator who now advocates for the elderly. "You can't tell our ombudsmen not to speak out on the issues that affect their constituents."

According to federal law, each of the nation's long-term care ombudsmen is to advocate independently for the elderly residents of care facilities - a job that historically has put the ombudsmen at odds with both nursing homes and state regulators.

But new questions are being raised about whether Iowa's ombudsman, Jeanne Yordi, is working independently or advocating effectively for the elderly.

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Related articles:
Seniors' advocate must be independent
Iowa long-term care ombudsman's tie to lawyer questioned

Lay Down

My sense of directions abandons me when I look for Samuel’s home number. After a few turns in his street, I surrender.   I park my Honda and find my way on a sunny and windy early afternoon. As soon as Samuel unlocks the door to his one-bedroom apartment, he asks me where I parked. He then invites me to park exactly in front of his building as he already told me over the phone. Without a word, I turn on my heels, walk back to my car, and park it right beneath his living room. As soon as I turn off the ignition key, he gives me the thumbs up from the rectangular windowpane.

Back in the living room, I make myself comfortable on the couch, the back of my head against the window facing the street, my green car, and a young tree. Samuel sits on a wheelchair right in front of my eyes. He switches off the TV on the side. He is an 88-yearold veteran with a deep and infectious laugh and an unrelentless faith in God. Formerly married, he has been living alone for 40 years. In his hands, almost anything becomes either a sign of God’s will at work or a source of banter. For example the supreme cleanliness and tidiness of his apartment is a sure sign that he does not need to marry anymore since his outstanding home care worker takes care of him much better than any wife.


I ask him why he needs a wheelchair. The story of his falls and a major surgery reveals that when he fell, his next-door neighbor rung one of his daughters because she noticed that at night the light in the living room was on but nobody picked up the phone. His neighbor has always an eye on him. In his words:

“How you doing?” She calls me. And then, in the night, “Close your windows; close your shades.” She’d tell me that all the time.

Curious, I ask why he needs to close the shades. He replies:

Guys drive-by and shoot. I see guys, some of these guys, up here drinking, and using that dope. And they don’t care; they’re shooting at one another. They don’t have to be shooting at you. […] They don’t care who they’re shooting, they just be shooting. And some of them don’t know how to shoot.

Formerly married, he has been living alone for 40 years. In his hands, almost anything becomes either a sign of God’s will at work or a source of banter. For example the supreme cleanliness and tidiness of his apartment is a sure sign that he does not need to marry anymore since his outstanding home care worker takes care of him much better than any wife. I ask him why he needs a wheelchair. The story of his falls and a major surgery reveals that when he fell, his next-door neighbor rung one of his daughters because she noticed that at night the light in the living room was on but nobody picked up the phone. His neighbor has always an eye on him. In his words:

“How you doing?” She calls me. And then, in the night, “Close your windows; close your shades.” She’d tell me that all the time.

Curious, I ask why he needs to close the shades. He replies:

Guys drive-by and shoot. I see guys, some of these guys, up here drinking, and using that dope. And they don’t care; they’re shooting at one another. They don’t have to be shooting at you. […] They don’t care who they’re shooting, they just be shooting. And some of them don’t know how to shoot.

My ears suddenly become more alert to the sounds of the street. Samuel continues:

So I always hit the floor when they start shooting. That’s the best thing you can do, when they start shooting. Lay down. You can get hit anyway, but this is safer. Fall on the floor. You have all the bullets have to go through a lot of stuff before they get to you. If you open the window, the bullets will go through that easy.

Samuel tells me how much he usually enjoys looking at the tree outside, but his neighbor would then tell him “Stay out the window.” Maybe he learned from his guardian-neighbor to insist on the right spot where I should leave my car when he remarks:

“Just like I told you when you came in here, I said I be the one to guide you.”

[One of  six stories on living alone in San Francisco published in Elena Portacolone’s monthly column in the newsletter of Planning for Elders -September 2010 – February 2011 The project is part of the UCSF Community Partnership Initiative]

The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care :: 2011 Consumer Voice Annual Meeting & Conference

The Consumer Voice is pleased to announce registration is now open for the 36th Annual Conference & Meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan, October 25-28, 2011. Register by April 30 and save! Select on the links below to learn more about this upcoming event!

• About the Conference
• Registration Rates & Information
• Pre-Conference Intensive Workshops
• Hotel Information
• Grand Rapids Information
• Questions and Sponsorship Opportunities

For Elderly Muslims, Few Options Outside the Home - NYTimes.com

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By KAREN STABINER

Nazli Currim lived for 14 years at the intersection of tradition and frustration. After her father died, her mother moved into Ms. Currim’s home. She cared for her mother full time, even after a stroke six years before she died.

Ms. Currim, 69, founder of the American Muslim Women’s Association, never considered finding a nursing home for her mother. Her attitude is common among Muslims in the United States, many of whom are reluctant even to consider placing an aging family member in a facility.

Part of that decision was a personal one, but part of it was practical: It is difficult for Muslims to find nursing homes and assisted living facilities that reflect their way of life.

Cultural competence has become a buzzword as adult children seek elder care solutions that acknowledge an older person’s cultural and religious identity. But the Muslim community faces a particular challenge. The elderly segment of that population is quite small, representing “only 0.5 percent of our American Muslim population,” according to Aneesah Nadir, president of the Islamic Social Services Association U.S.A., based in Phoenix. “Most of the elders of those who have immigrated here are still overseas. We’re a youthful population.”

Older parents who do come to the United States often live an insulated existence. “They don’t speak the language, so people can’t communicate with them,” said Ms. Nadir. For them, life in a majority of residential facilities would be an alien experience.
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U.S. Senate Aging Committee Considers Assisted Living Issues

The federal government should take a more active role in oversight of assisted living facilities in light of current common practice that allows facilities to kick out or refuse to admit Medicaid-eligible residents even though the facilities themselves are approved to participate in Medicaid.

"Assisted living facilities are glad to accept money from Medicaid, but currently they don't live by the same rules as other Medicaid-certified providers," said National Senior Citizens Law Center Directing Attorney Eric Carlson during a roundtable discussion about assisted living issues today on Capitol Hill.

"If they agree to accept Medicaid, assisted living facilities should be held as accountable as other health care providers at both the federal and state levels," Carlson added. He also explained how, in the absence of consistent federal oversight, states have developed widely varying rules that do not protect consumers adequately.

When assisted living facilities stop accepting Medicaid, Carlson said the results can be devastating to residents. For example, after one 89-year-old Washington woman received an eviction notice when her facility stopped accepting Medicaid, she grew depressed, stopped eating and died within the month.

Carlson recommended that federal law be enforced to protect residents when a facility refuses Medicaid as in the tragic case above. It also calls on states to write rules to require Medicaid-certified facilities to accept residents regardless of their Medicaid status and prohibit facilities from penalizing current residents when a facility chooses to decertify.

In his remarks, Carlson also pointed to other problems and challenges related to the oversight of assisted living, basing his comments on a series of policy issue briefs and white papers that related to this and other legal issues developed with support from the Commonwealth Fund.

The roundtable is convened by the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, and is entitled "Assisted Living at the Dawn of America's 'Age Wave': What Have States Achieved and How Is the Federal Role Evolving?" The hearing starts at 1 p.m., March 15, in room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building.

Source: National Senior Citizens Law Center
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CBO Outlines Health Benefit Cuts Worth Hundreds of Billions - The Hill's Healthwatch

By Julian Pecquet

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released a list of deficit-cutting options Thursday that includes hundreds of billions in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.

The two programs account for 38 percent of mandatory spending — more than Social Security — and face a visit to the chopping block as Americans across the political spectrum clamor for the government to keep its spending under control.

In its report, CBO says giving states a block grant (indexed to annual increases in the employment cost index) to cover long-term care services in Medicaid — something conservative state leaders have been clamoring for — would shave $287.4 billion off the deficit over 10 years. The next biggest saver, increasing the basic Medicare premium for doctor's visits to 35 percent, would save $241.2 billion.

Other options include: More

CMS Proposed Community First Choice Rule

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On February 25th, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a proposed rule in the Federal Register to implement a new Community First Choice Option.  Under Section 2401 of the Affordable Care Act, this proposed rule establishes a new State option to provide home and community-based attendant services and supports through a new section of 1915 (k) to the Social Security Act.  The goal of this new option is to give States additional resources to make community living a first choice.

Starting in October, this option will allow States to receive a six percent increase in federal matching funds for providing community-based attendant services and supports to people with Medicaid.  Over the next three years—through 2014—States could see a total of $3.7 billion in new funds to provide these services.  Under this new option, States will provide consumer controlled, person-centered home and community-based attendant supports to individuals on a statewide basis.  The person-directed plans and services will be developed in a manner that is most integrated and appropriate to the individual’s needs, without regard to age, type or nature of disability, severity of disability, or form of home and community-based attendant services and supports the individual requires in order to lead an independent life. 

To find out more about the Community First Choice option and to review the proposed rule implementing this section, please visit: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-02-25/pdf/2011-3946.pdf

Comments for this proposed rule are due to CMS by April 26, 2011. 

Locals Protest Cuts to Medicaid | NevadaAppeal.com

Image by Getty Images via @daylife
By Geoff Dornan

Local officials on Wednesday protested human services cuts in the governor's proposed budget they say will cost counties nearly $50 million a year.

The biggest piece reviewed is a change in the Medicaid long-term care funding formula local officials say will cost them $20 million a year.

Medicaid provides long-term care beds for those unable to take care of themselves. The reductions are made by changing the complex formula for determining state funding for those Medicaid recipients in long-term care facilities. Under the current formula, the state, federal money and local governments share the cost of caring for those disabled people.

Charles Duarte, administrator of Health Care Financing and Policy, told a joint Senate/Assembly subcommittee the long-term care change saves the state $37 million over the biennium.

“A county cannot pay more than its budget,” said Mary Walker, lobbyist for Carson, Douglas, Lyon and Storey counties. “We'd be deciding whether to lay off police and firefighters or kick these people out of their beds. That would be a terrible choice.”
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States Turn to Private Insurance Companies for Managed Care - USATODAY.com

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By Phil Galewitz Kaiser Health News

Desperate to rein in rising Medicaid costs, Tennessee last year became the sixth state to require its frailest and costliest patients — the elderly and disabled who need long-term care — to enroll in managed care plans.

At least 10 other states, including Florida, Maryland, New Jersey and Rhode Island, are considering introducing or expanding the use of managed long-term care. The trend is sparking opposition from the nursing home industry and raising some concerns from AARP and other patient advocates.

Traditionally, states pay Medicaid providers, such as doctors and nursing homes, directly for individual services. But many officials say that system makes it hard for them to predict and control Medicaid spending. Under managed care, states pay health insurers a fixed monthly fee for each Medicaid patient. The lump sum is used for all the patient's costs, including physician and nursing home care.

Managed care companies, including UnitedHealthcare and Wellcare Health Plans, say they can save money for states by keeping Medicaid patients who need long-term care at home, whenever possible, rather than in more-expensive nursing homes. They use care coordinators to monitor patients to help ensure they're getting the right care in the most appropriate setting.

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Capitol Weekly: Opinion: California Should Take the Lead in Reducing Long-term Care Costs

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By David Kieffer

For those of us who work in long-term care, California’s budget crisis can be viewed in two ways – as yet another devastating blow to the seniors and people with disabilities we care for – or as an opportunity to get things right. Which of these views turns out to be accurate will depend on the choices we make.

Formulaic cuts to hours or types of services are not the right approach. The necessary search for savings has the potential to help California develop a more forward-looking approach to long-term care, but only if we go about it strategically. We need to use the federal funds available to us and expand the savings we have already achieved by taking more aggressive measures to care for more people at home instead of in more expensive institutions.
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The Long Term Care Discussion Group

The Long Term Care Discussion Group

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A voluntary independent group that meets solely for the purpose

of educating the policy community on all facets of long term care

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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

10:30 a.m. Eastern Time

AARP Offices ~ 601 E Street, NW, Room B2-130

Recent AARP Research:  How LTC Is Weathering the State Financial Storm & Trends in Disability, Community Living, and Caregiving

(Please note – you must RSVP in advance to get into the building)

Speakers: Wendy Fox-Grage & Don Redfoot

 

Wendy Fox-Grage is a Senior Strategic Policy Advisor for the AARP Public Policy Institute. For the past six years in this role, she has identified emerging policy issues and developed policy options and reform strategies in long term services and supports. She has conducted public policy research and provided policy analysis and guidance to state AARP offices.  Previously, she was Program Principal for the National Conference of State Legislatures.  In that role, Wendy provided technical assistance to state legislators, legislative staff, press and others on health care issues, analyzed state and federal legislation and monitored legislative trends.  Wendy also was a Congressional fellow with the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging and has both a Master of Science in Gerontology and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Southern California.

 

Donald L. Redfoot, Ph D. has been a Strategic Policy Advisor with AARP’s Public Policy Institute for the past 15 years. During that time, he has conducted and supervised research on long term care and housing public policy issues, including: assisted living, end-of-life care, trends in disability and institutional care, international comparisons of long term care systems, and reverse mortgages. He has participated in numerous expert panels and boards, including serving as a founding member and, for two years, Chairman of the Board of the Center for Excellence in Assisted Living, an umbrella organization of 11 national stakeholder organizations involved with assisted living.  Previously, he served for eight years as AARP’s Legislative Representative on housing and transportation issues.  Don received his Ph.D. in sociology from Rutgers University, his M.A. in the social sciences at the University of Chicago, and his B.A. in sociology from Westminster College (PA). He has written numerous reports and articles for academic, policy, and popular audiences.

Please RSVP to Joyce Tower at JTower@univitahealth.com

Long Term Care Discussion Group Co-Chairs:

Winthrop Cashdollar, John Cutler, Karl Polzer, Jill Randolph, and Eileen J. Tell

For more information about the Long Term Care Discussion Group, visit www.ltcdiscussiongroup.org

Affordable Care Act Supports States in Strengthening Community Living

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Yesterday Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that nationally, $4.3 Billion in new funds will be provided to help establish and expand community-based alternatives to institutional long term care.  Through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) 13 states will receive additional funding for two programs, the Money Follows the Person (MFP) demonstration program and the Community First Choice Option program, in support of the goal to help move Medicaid beneficiaries out of institutions and into their own homes or other community settings now and in the near future. 

The Money Follows the Person (MFP) demonstration program, which was set to expire in fiscal year 2011, is extended through the Affordable Care Act for an additional five years.  The 13 States receiving awards today join the 29 States and the District of Columbia already operating MFP programs.  Together, these States will receive more than $45 million in the first year of the program, and more than $621 million through 2016. 

Many of the same goals under the MFP demonstration are shared and supported by the Community First Choice (CFC) Option, created by the Affordable Care Act. Today, nursing homes and institutions are too often the first or only choice for people with Medicaid who need long term care. The goal of this new option is to give States additional resources to make community living a first choice, and leave nursing homes and institutions as a fall back option.  Starting in October, this option will allow States to receive a six percent increase in federal matching funds for providing community-based attendant services and supports to people with Medicaid.  Over the next three years—through 2014—States could see a total of $3.7 billion in new funds to provide these services.  States currently receive Federal Medicaid matching funds for these activities at the State’s normal matching rate. 

To read the complete press release regarding this announcement, which includes a list of the 13 states that received funding, please go to http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/02/20110222b.html   

Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging Identifies 10 Senior Living Trends | Aging In Action

by Linda Hollinger-Smith - Aging In Action blog

Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging derived 10 top senior living trends after surveying 600 senior living organizations representing more than 1,000 communities from 15 states. Trends indicate that older adult living communities and care providers must anticipate and cater to the personal needs and interests of residents by offering options beyond the basics and include more comprehensive provision for in-home care.

Trends are identified to allow developers and providers to address opportunities and create innovations to help shape the future of senior living relative to services, programs, amenities, and design. The ultimate goal is to create environments and lifestyles where people want to live, not where they need to live.

Based on survey results, the following are the top 10 emerging senior living trends.

1, Senior living residents are choosing to “age in place.”

2. Health and wellness programs and services are top priorities.

3. Technology will be key to promoting and sustaining independent lifestyles among senior living residents.

4. Resident programs must focus on meaningful activities and intellectual stimulation.

5. Senior living providers will provide services “beyond” their four walls.

6. Long-term care is transforming to support person-directed care and meaningful relationships.

7. Residents are demanding “customized services” driving the need for senior living providers to offer a customer-driven portfolio of services and programs.

8. Language, perceptions, and attitudes of care providers must be updated to reflect changing older adults’ needs and expectations.

9. Senior living industry may become a hotbed for job creation.

10. Above all, consumers want choices and value.
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Connecting the Long-Term Care Partnership and CLASS Act Insurance

The link below is to a copy of a recently published policy brief by Mark Meiners. Connecting the Long-Term Care Partnership and CLASS Act Insurance is a brief designed to help states with Partnership programs inform consumers and other stakeholders in considering these different approaches for long-term care insurance. It compares the two programs in a wide variety of areas including benefits, eligibility, affordability, etc. The brief can be accessed at www.chcs.org. Please feel free to contact Professor Meiners with any questions or comments.

Immigration Reform: A Key Retirement Issue - The Best Life (usnews.com)

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By Philip Moeller

With Social Security and Medicare programs facing deficit-cutting proposals in the new Congress, seniors and their advocacy groups already have big issues on their plates. Yet a good case can be made that immigration reform is another emerging issue for millions of seniors who need care. The shifting outlook has several components—rising demand for care due to a growing elderly population, a sustained effort to provide elder care in homes rather than institutions, a shrinking work force of Americans, and an economic recovery that will eventually reduce the supply of family members available to provide unpaid care.

Full Article

Sebelius Vows To Ensure CLASS Program Is Financially Viable - Kaiser Health News

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By Marilyn Werber Serafini

The Obama administration is working aggressively to fend off critics of the CLASS Act, a voluntary insurance program created by the new health law to help individuals who require long-term care remain in the community. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today promised to pursue changes to ensure the program is financially self-sustaining into the future.

The Community Living Assistance Services and Support Act, to be run by HHS, would provide cash benefits that could be used for a variety of non-medical expenses, such as paying for a home health aide or a family member who provides care, modifications to a home and special transportation needs.

Full Article

AARP: CLASS Program Gives Americans New Option to Plan for Long-Term Care

AARP Executive Vice President John Rother released this statement following today’s remarks by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program, a voluntary insurance option for long-term services and supports created in the Affordable Care Act:

“American families are struggling with the staggering cost of long-term care while state governments look to reduce costs in their Medicaid programs—the largest payers of long-term care.  The CLASS program created by the Affordable Care Act gives Americans a new option to plan for the cost of long-term services and supports through a voluntary insurance program.  At the same time, the program will help take some of the burden off of Medicaid over time as more people are able to plan and pay for their own care.

“We know that 86 percent of our members want to live in their homes for as long as possible, yet too few are able to get the services they need to continue living independently.  The CLASS program can help offer peace of mind to American families and help cover some of the costs of services and supports they need to live independently in their homes and communities.  AARP is committed to giving our members and all older Americans the information they need in the coming months and years to decide if CLASS is right for them.”