Being There, Without Leaving Home - The New Old Age Blog - NYTimes.com

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by Paula Span

At the Selfhelp Benjamin Rosenthal Senior Center in Queens, a social worker, Rachel Itzkowitz, is leading the weekly current events class, guiding participants through a series of discussions. What did they think about that shooting at the Mexican border? About higher compensation for first responders injured on Sept. 11? And what about the controversy over building a Muslim community center near the World Trade Center site?

With backing from Microsoft and the city’s Department for the Aging, Selfhelp has created a “virtual senior center” for about a dozen low-income elderly people, with six more scheduled to join the party at the end of the summer.

Even with big touch-screen monitors and an easy-to-use interface (called It’s Never Too Late), it took twice-a-week training for a couple of months before the new users could manage the equipment. Most had never used a computer. One who’d never learned to type found the QWERTY keyboard confusing, so Microsoft substituted one with keys in alphabetical order. The group has taken advantage of adaptations like magnifiers and screen readers that read text aloud.

Bringing older people online proved to be, in other words, a labor-intensive undertaking. But Selfhelp’s vice president for senior communities, Leo Asen, is convinced that the benefits justify it.

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Local celebrities welcome Scottish service for older gays - PinkPaper.com

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One of Scotland’s first services aimed at older gay people has been endorsed by a string of celebrities, describing it as a “service desperately needed”.

LGBT Age will tackle social exclusion and isolation through social, befriending, information and advocacy services, as part of the LGBT Centre for Health and Well-being.

Garry McGregor, LGBT age coordinator, said support for the scheme was “testament” to the need for an age-linked programme.
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Young people create services for boomers and seniors

A growing trend appears to be younger people thinking of products and services to help boomers as they age, according to AgeInPlaceTech.com. Most of these services are web-based, but others focus on more practical aspects of senior living.
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New Fiscal Year Brings More Grief for State Budgets, Putting Economic Recovery at Risk — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

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By Erica Williams, Phil Oliff, Ashali Singham and Nicholas Johnson

Dismal state revenue collections caused by the severe recession are setting the stage for a new round of state budget cuts as fiscal year 2011 begins in most states on July 1. The states’ cumulative budget shortfall will likely reach $140 billion in the coming year, the largest shortfall yet in a string of huge annual gaps that date back to the beginning of the recession. Closing it will have severe effects on services and jobs.

In many states, the new fiscal year will bring immediate cuts to programs and services that are facing unprecedented demand. As of July 1, 10,000 families in Arizona will lose eligibility for temporary cash assistance; Georgia will lay off as many as 284 workers who help low-income families enroll for food stamp, Medicaid and TANF benefits; and Kansas will cut off nearly 2,800 individuals with a disability from independent living services. Education, health care, and other priority areas will also face new cuts in the coming fiscal year — on top of extensive cuts that at least 45 states have enacted over the last two years.

States are raising taxes as well for 2011. Effective July 1, Kansas and New Mexico increase their sales taxes; Hawaii, New Mexico, New York, South Carolina, and Utah increase their tax on tobacco products; Washington begins taxing soda, and Oklahoma is temporarily suspending various business and energy tax credits. Other changes have already taken effect or will take effect later in fiscal year 2011. Since 2008, more than 30 states have raised taxes or tax-like fees.

Separate and apart from dismal revenue collections, the budget situation for states just got worse. Last week, the U.S. Senate failed to pass jobs legislation that would have extended an enhanced federal match for the Medicaid program that 30 states were counting on to balance their budgets. Without these funds, states will make even deeper spending cuts and more tax increases than previously planned.
These state actions, while necessary to meet state balanced-budget requirements, will nevertheless slow the economic recovery and raise the risk that the nation will fall back into recession as the loss of Americans’ spending power ripples through the economy. States’ actions to close their $140 billion gap without more federal aid could cost the economy up to 900,000 public- and private-sector jobs.

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Obscure New York Budget Proposal Threatens Senior Centers - NYTimes.com

By DAVID W. CHEN

The Bloomberg administration is scrambling to come up with contingency plans to close as many as one-fifth of the city’s 321 senior centers after being caught off guard by an obscure state budget proposal that would slash the centers’ financing by nearly 30 percent.

Describing what the loss of state money would mean for the centers, Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, the city’s commissioner at the Department for the Aging, was blunt. “Catastrophic,” she said.

Only in the last couple of weeks have city officials and advocates for the elderly become fully aware of Gov. David A. Paterson’s decision because it was not the typical budget reduction that becomes part of the annual jousting between Albany and New York City.

Instead, the proposal would alter an arcane formula and redirect $25 million in federal money that has traditionally been set aside for senior centers toward state programs to combat domestic violence and elder abuse.
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Illinois Race Foils Bid to Balance Books - WSJ.com

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By AMY MERRICK

Social-services agencies are worried about paying staff, and time is running short to address a huge budget deficit in Illinois amid a political fight between candidates in the race for governor.

The contest between Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and state Comptroller Daniel Hynes, Mr. Quinn's main rival in February's Democratic primary, offers a preview of what could happen across the U.S. in 2010, with many states facing major budget problems and 37 governors' seats up for election. Concerns about the political impacts of tough choices are likely to hinder the ability of governors and legislatures to address deficits.

Illinois is confronting an estimated $4.3 billion budget gap for its current fiscal year, which ends June 30. The shortfall equals 16.5% of the state's general-fund budget, the third-highest percentage gap in the U.S. behind Oklahoma and Arizona, according to a November report from the National Conference of State Legislatures. On Dec. 8, Moody's Investors Service gave Illinois the lowest state bond rating nationwide except for California's.

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State budget pictures bleak as lawmakers head back - washingtonpost.com

By SHANNON McCAFFREY

As lawmakers head back to state capitols this month, budget woes range "from bad to ridiculously bad," said David Wyss, chief economist at Standard & Poors in New York. "There are some states, those hit particularly hard by the recession, that I don't think can cut spending enough. They're running out of things to cut."

Typically, the worst budget years for states are the two years after a recession ends. Across the nation, budgets are already lean after several rounds on the chopping block. And unless lawmakers increase taxes or fees - unpopular moves in an election year - most will need to cut even more as they grapple with the steepest decline of tax receipts on record. Services ranging from higher education to programs for the elderly could be in jeopardy.

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Announcing the 2010 New Culture of Aging Services Webcast | ChangingAging.org

There is an immediate and pressing need for education around the issue of culture transformation in aging services. There is also extraordinary pressure on training and travel budgets.

To support this growing demand for culture change, Dr. Bill Thomas is announcing a 12-month online video education series beginning in January 2010 designed for aging services facilities:

The 2010 New Culture of Aging Services Webcast Series

This online video series will provide an abundance of low-cost, high quality education and information for those caring for elders. Featuring easy-to-use webcasting technologies, the series will help aging services facilities build the foundation for transformative culture change. Participants will interact with Dr Thomas via streaming video without travelling or special equipment. There will be opportunities to ask questions, live-chat, poll participants on major issues and some participants will even join him on video to share their stories and challenges.

In bimonthly sessions spanning 24 hours of livestreaming video, Dr Thomas will share sensible, proven methods and tactics to help facilities around the country create new cultures of care for their organizations. The streaming video webcasts will be viewable at www.changingaging.org with no special equipment or downloads. All you’ll need is a broadband internet connection and web browser.

Visit www.ChangingAging.org/culture-change/ to register your facility today.
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The Institute for Geriatric Social Work Receives Five-Year Continuation Grant from The Atlantic Philanthropies to Strengthen Workforce in Aging

The Institute for Geriatric Social Work (IGSW) at Boston University School of Social Work has just announced receipt of a five-year, $3.1 million grant from The Atlantic Philanthropies (AP) to continue IGSW's path-breaking efforts in preparing the social services workforce for an aging society. Since it was established with initial funding from AP in 2002, IGSW has become a national leader in provision of post-professional training in aging, improving the practice of social workers and others who care for older people and their families.

A Lifeline for Families Faces Cuts

By Robin Shulman - Washington Post Staff Writer - Sunday, December 14, 2008 In N.Y., Caregivers Grapple With Likely Loss of Programs for Dementia Patients Sometimes it seems as though all Doreen Tiseo does is care for her 87-year-old father, who has memory loss from Alzheimer's disease. She supervises him in the shower and gives him reminders, such as "pick up the soap" and "wash your face." In the morning, she helps him dress and slips a handkerchief into his pocket. At night when he wanders, she tells him, "It's dark out, time to sleep." But during the day, she gets a respite to go to her job as her father attends a city-funded program. It offers people with dementia and Alzheimer's art and music therapy, lunch, physical activities, and guided discussions and socializing -- critical, Tiseo says, to keeping her father alert, happy and relatively healthy. Now, because of a budget crisis, New York City plans to eliminate funding for all 12 of these adult day-care programs at the end of this month, saving $1.2 million before the next fiscal year begins in July. The programs, which receive most of their funding from the city, are facing immediate closure unless they can raise fees dramatically or find new donors -- in a climate in which other government agencies, corporations and individuals are also cutting back. Even then, they may be able to remain open only a few days a week. -------- Faced with the need to make cuts, it seemed better to "surgically eliminate" these small adult day programs, said Edwin Mendez-Santiago, who recently resigned as commissioner of the city's Department for the Aging, rather than programs such as home-delivered meals, which reach 17,000 people daily, or senior centers, which serve 20,000 each day. Mendez-Santiago said the department's staff would help redirect the 300 or so people who attend these programs to state-funded, Medicaid or private-pay day-care programs, or to home-care options. But he acknowledged that only a portion will qualify for Medicaid and that state budgets are also facing reductions.

A City Looks To Its Moral Compass in Lean Times

By Michael Laris - Washington Post Staff Writer - Sunday, December 14, 2008 Faced with painful choices about who will suffer most from looming budget cuts, Alexandria officials have taken the unusual step of paying a professional ethicist to help them grapple with the moral issues involved. Just a few of the vexing decisions his advice helped Alexandria policymakers confront in recent weeks: They took apartments being built for the mentally ill and temporarily turned them into housing for the disabled. They cut a parenting counselor for jailed minors with kids but preserved aid for belligerent preschoolers. They scaled back drug prevention but kept the methadone pills available to ease the cravings of withdrawal.

Senior Center Practices

In the states and territories senior centers offer older Americans a comfortable place to participate in activities, socialize with their peers, and share a meal. Senior centers, supported by funding from various sources including the State Unit on Aging, are often coordinated by Area Agencies on Aging. Although all states have senior centers, they vary greatly. Several states and territories are developing statewide standards for their senior centers. Implementation of state standards ensures that each senior center offers appropriate and consistent services. Senior center standards often regulate hours of operation, set forth requirements for nutrition programs, provide for handicap accessibility, and prescribe social, health and wellness activities.

Aging Caregivers and Their Adult Children with Developmental Disabilities

This article from today's Washington Post is an example of a growing issue confronting adults with developmental disabilities and their families. Adults with development disabilities are living longer. For those whose care has been provided by their parents without government assistance, it is very difficult to gain access to needed supportive services when the aging parents become unable, either through their own chronic health problems, disability, or death, to continue to provide care. The supply of services, particularly government subsidized services, for adults with developmental disabilities is not adequate to meet the need. The result is long waiting lists for services. An individual may be on a waiting list for more that a year. In many states, the long waiting lists have led to the development of class action law suits against state government. The result court orders and consent decrees mandate the state to take certain actions in regard to the "members of the class." The members of the class are those individuals "known to the system" -- the persons on the waiting list or residing in state institutions. The adults with disabilities who have received support only from parents or other family members are not "known to the system." Disabled Man Died Before Needed D.C. Aid Arrived By Petula DvorakWashington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, October 22, 2008 "Mr. Johnson" badly burned himself while trying to cook. There were roaches on him when he showed up for medical appointments. He had difficulty using the toilet and rarely took his medication. But for years, the 65-year-old was deemed ineligible for help by the District agency that cares for mentally and physically disabled residents. For bureaucratic reasons, he officially did not exist. In February, the District finally approved funding for him. It was for his burial. continue reading the article

HHS Program To Improve Disaster Assistance

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced implementation of the Disaster Case Management demonstration program to make it easier for disaster victims to obtain a wide range of assistance and social services. The program will aid people from the Louisiana parishes covered under President Bush's disaster declaration related to Hurricane Gustav. The demonstration project will assist individuals and families by linking them with a single case manager at a disaster assistance center. The case manager will help them access the various programs available through federal, state and local governments, and nongovernmental organizations. "This program is intended to provide fast, one-stop shopping for those who need help. Our goal is a coordinated system that links disaster victims with a single contact who will help them determine what help they need, who provides it, and how to get it," Secretary Leavitt said. The program draws from existing state, local and voluntary agency programs to create a seamless system. Case managers, drawn largely from nongovernmental organizations involved in disaster relief, can assist people quickly in creating disaster recovery plans that will help them start to connect to service providers and resources. The services could include linking individuals to emergency food and shelter, temporary financial assistance, transportation, legal assistance, health care including mental health care and counseling,employment, and other public assistance. Most importantly, the program will follow clients throughout their recovery process to ensure they continue to get the assistance they need. If clients need assistance beyond the disaster aid, the case manager, to the extent possible, will connect them with the social service system within the state. HHS' Administration for Children and Families (ACF) will manage the project. "This program will help people in their time of greatest need," said Daniel Schneider, ACF acting assistant secretary. "When disaster strikes, people are in shock and great distress, and they may well not understand where and how to get aid. This program will help them overcome systemic and bureaucratic obstacles that can get in the way." Objectives include deployment into a disaster area within 72 hours of a disaster declaration; integration with existing state, local and voluntary agency programs; filling gaps by augmentation of existing state, local and voluntary agency programs; and incorporation of lessons learned from previous disasters.

TennCare patients may lose 24-hour home care

By BRAD SCHRADE • Tennessean Staff Writer • August 18, 2008 The problem for the state is that the most vulnerable patients are also the most expensive, and are getting costlier by the year. And there is only so much money to go around in the $7-billion-a-year state Medicaid program that serves 1.2 million recipients. Gov. Phil Bredesen and his administration say the home nursing aide program is both unsustainable and more generous than any other medical benefit offered by the state. The program had 10,800 people who received some private-duty nursing or home health services in the 2007 fiscal year, costing $243 million, according to the latest figures available from the TennCare Bureau. But within that group, about 1,000 patients receive high-cost services, such as 24-hour nursing or aide care at their homes. The annual cost for 24-hour care is about $300,000 a person, or about five times the cost to live in a nursing home. The cost for a handful of patients totals $1 million annually if all their medical costs are included. The state and their for-profit managed care companies began the transition to nursing home care in April, and have mailed out letters to several hundred patients receiving the in-home benefit. In late July, the federal government approved the changes, which will begin taking effect in early September.

Notice of Funding Availability for Continuum of Care (CoC) Homeless Assistance Programs

The purpose of the CoC Homeless Assistance Program is to reduce the incidence of homelessness in CoC communities by assisting homeless individuals and families to move to self sufficiency and permanent housing.CoCs that sustain current successfulinterventions and advance the goal of ending chronic homelessness will receive higher scores. Current Closing Date for Applications: Sep 26, 2008 Funding Instrument Type: Grant Category of Funding Activity: Housing Expected Number of Awards: 5000 Estimated Total Program Funding: $1,420,000,000 Award Ceiling: $6,000,000

Community and Economic Development Entities, Community Development Projects, and Other Public Welfare Investments

Interim final rule with request for comment. This interim final rule makes the following specific revisions to part 24 in order to implement the statutory changes to the public welfare test. Definition of ``Community and Economic Development Entity'' (CEDE) (Sec. 24.2(c)) The interim final rule amends the definition of a CEDE in Sec. 24.2(c) to implement the HERA change to the public welfare test. The revised paragraph (c) defines a CEDE as ``an entity that makes investments or conducts activities that primarily benefit low- and moderate-income individuals, low- and moderate-income areas, or other areas targeted by a governmental entity for redevelopment, or would receive consideration as ``qualified investments'' under 12 CFR 25.23. ''Removing the Definition of ``Benefiting Primarily Low- and Moderate-Income Areas or Individuals'' (Sec. 24.2(g)) As indicated above, the FSRRA authorized a national bank and its subsidiaries to make investments that promote the public welfare by ``benefiting primarily'' low- and moderate-income areas or individuals. OCC's rule implementing the FSRRA added a definition for ``benefiting primarily low and moderate-income areas or individuals.'' The HERA revision removed the ``benefiting primarily'' language, thus, this definition is no longer needed and is removed by the interim final rule. Public Welfare Investments (Sec. 24.3) The interim final rule revises Sec. 24.3, which contains the authorization to make investments pursuant to section 24(Eleventh), to conform to the changes made by the HERA. Examples of Qualifying Public Welfare Investments (Sec. 24.6) Section 24.6 contains examples of qualifying public welfare investments. The interim final rule revises the introductory language in Sec. 24.6 to reflect the changes made by section 2503 of the HERA. The interim final rule also adds back, where appropriate, references to investments in ``targeted redevelopment areas.'' These references had been removed by the FSRRA implementing regulation. Revision to Appendix 1 to Part 24, the CD-1 National Bank Community Development (Part 24) Investments Form The interim final rule also revises Appendix 1 to part 24, the CD-1 National Bank Community Development (Part 24) Investments Form, to reflect the changes to the regulation.

Geriatrics and Gerontology Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) gives notice under Public Law 92-463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that a meeting of the Geriatrics and Gerontology Advisory Committee will be held on September 18-19, 2008, in Room 630, Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC. On September 18, the session will begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. On September 19, the session will begin at 8 a.m. and end at 12 noon. This meeting is open to the public. The meeting will feature presentations and discussion on:

• VA's aging research activities,
• update on VA's geriatric workforce (to include training, recruitment and retention approaches),
• Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Geriatric Primary Care,
• VHA strategic planning activities in geriatrics and extended care,
• recent VHA efforts regarding dementia and long term care needs of recently returning veterans,
• program advances in Community Living Centers and palliative care, and
• policy guidance and performance oversight of the VA Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Centers.

No time will be allocated at this meeting for receiving oral presentations from the public. Interested parties should provide written comments for review by the Committee not less than ten days in advance of the meeting to Mrs. Marcia Holt-Delaney, Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care (114), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20420.

Individuals who wish to attend the meeting should contact Mrs. Holt-Delaney, Program Analyst, at (202) 461-6769.

Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program

ACTION: Initial announcement of available FY 2008, FY-2009, and FY-2010 funds under the Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program (HVRP) to Support Local Stand Down Events. Funding Opportunity No.: 17-805.

A Stand Down is an event held in a local community where homeless veterans are provided with a wide variety of social services.

Under this announcement, VETS anticipates that up to $400,000 will be available in each of the three fiscal years for grant awards of up to a maximum of $10,000 per multi-day event (more than one day), and a maximum of $7,000 for a one (1) day event.

Area Food Pantries Try To Watch What They Mete

By Lori Aratani Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, July 29, 2008; Page A01 It was the maraschino cherries that did it. "Are you trying to kill me?" the woman asked Ted Pringle, director of food and clothing for Bread for the City, the District's largest food pantry. "I'm a diabetic. I can't have these." The jar -- a contribution from a well-meaning donor -- had been accidentally packed into the woman's monthly food bag. But the incident crystallized a disconnect that had long troubled Pringle.