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2014 HCBS Conference Materials are Now Available
The 2014 HCBS Conference was a great success! This year, the conference had the highest number of attendees with plenty of workshops. NASUAD is grateful to everyone, including all of our sponsors. The presentations are now online! They are also available in the HCBS conference app. Simply select the session you are interested in (from the agenda button) and you will find to find the PDF file loaded after the session description.
If you do not see a PowerPoint presentation listed, it is because a copy of that presentation was not shared with NASUAD Staff. We will be working on collecting the missing presentations. Thank you for your understanding! Make sure to save the date for the 2015 HCBS Conference from August 31 - September 3, 2015 in Washington DC.
Click here to view the conference materials.
Click here to contact Byron Phillips if you see that your own presentation is missing.
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MIPPA Outreach Materials for Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries with Disabilities
In collaboration with consumers and professionals in the aging and disabilities network, NASUAD has developed outreach materials to promote Medicare low-income subsidies to beneficiaries with disabilities. NASUAD created 3 posters to educate Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities about subsidies that may help them save on Medicare costs. NASUAD also developed a Tip Sheet for MIPPA outreach professionals to use as a quick reference tool about Medicare low-income subsidies and referral resources. The posters include an editable space wherein outreach professionals may add contact information for their preferred referral source.
Click here to view or download the Posters and Tip Sheet.
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Administration for Community Living
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Elder Abuse: Global Leadership for an International Crisis
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) released a blog post by Administrator Kathy Greenlee regarding elder abuse and global leadership. "As U.S. Assistant Secretary for Aging, I have the opportunity and responsibility to highlight this crisis domestically and internationally. On the world stage, it is important the U.S. lead, participate in and learn from dialogue with other countries and nongovernmental organizations. Together, as a community of nations, we need to educate people around the world to the realities of this abuse. We need to collaborate as we identify effective means of prevention and intervention. And, we must prioritize our commitment to seek out and listen to the older adults who become victims of abuse. The survivors must guide our work. Unfortunately, we are all behind. On a universal basis we lack adequate data, we have insufficient investment in research, and incomplete information about best practices to support the security and safety of older citizens."
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| Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services |
July Medicaid & CHIP Eligibility and Enrollment Report
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the July 2014 monthly report on state Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) eligibility and enrollment data. Across the 51 states (including the District of Columbia) that provided enrollment data for July 2014, over 67 million individuals were enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP. This enrollment count is point-in-time (on the last day of the month) and includes all enrollees in the Medicaid and CHIP programs who are receiving a comprehensive benefit package. 373,386 additional people were enrolled in July 2014 as compared to June 2014 in the 50 states that reported both July and June data. (North Dakota is not included in this count.)
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Medicaid IAP Update
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently released an informational bulletin about the Medicaid Innovation Accelerator Program (IAP). The bulletin includes new commentary from the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS) Chief Medical Officer, Steven Cha, as well as an IAP Fact Sheet that pulls together expenditure, diagnostic and enrollment data on Medicaid beneficiaries. The IAP will help identify and advance new models; assist states with data analytics; help improve quality measurement; and facilitate state to state learning, rapid-cycle improvement, and federal evaluation.
Click here to view the fact sheet.
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Reducing the Use of Anti-psychotic Medications in Nursing Homes
The National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care, a public-private coalition, recently established a new national goal of reducing the use of anti-psychotic medications in long-stay nursing home residents by 25 percent by the end of 2015, and 30 percent by the end of 2016. The coalition includes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, consumers, advocacy organizations, providers and professional associations. Studies indicate that between the end of 2011 and the end of 2013, the national prevalence of anti-psychotic use in long-stay nursing home residents was reduced by 15.1 percent, decreasing from 23.8 percent to 20.2 percent nationwide. The National Partnership is currently working with nursing homes to reduce that rate even further.
Click here to view the press release.
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DOJ Launches Elder Justice Website
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently launched the Elder Justice website. The site offers resources for victims, family members, prosecutors, researchers, and anyone who works with older adults. On the site:
- Victims and family members can find information about how to report elder abuse and financial exploitation in all 50 states and the territories.
- Federal, State, and local prosecutors can find three different databases containing sample pleadings and statutes.
- Researchers in the elder abuse field can access a database containing bibliographic information for thousands of articles and reviews.
- Practitioners, including professionals of all types who work with elder abuse and its consequences, can find information about resources available to help them prevent elder abuse and assist those who have already been abused, neglected or exploited.
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Continued Funding to Improve Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities
The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) announced a total of $8,422,574 in continued funding for organizations that develop models, provide technical assistance and share best practices to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The entities include the Add Us In initiative; West Virginia University Research Corp to operate the Job Accommodation Network; the Institute for Educational Leadership to operate the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth; the National Disability Institute to operate the National Center on Leadership for Employment and Advancement of Citizens with Disabilities, and the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America to operate the Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology.
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Nominations Sought for Participation in Advisory Committee on Competitive Integrated Employment
The Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities is a key part of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which was signed into law by President Obama on July 22, 2014 to help job seekers, including those with disabilities, access the services they need to succeed in employment and match employers with skilled workers. The committee is mandated by Section 609 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by section 461 of WIOA. The committee consists of both federal officials and private citizens from specific groups identified in the WIOA legislation. People interested in being nominated for the committee are encouraged to review the Federal Register Notice and submit the requested information.
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Housing and Urban Development
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HUD Awards $17 Million to Help Elderly Residents Remain in Their Homes
On September 23, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded $17 million in grants to the owners of multi-family housing developments in six states. This grant will help convert some or all of the housing developments into assisted living or service-enriched environments for elderly residents. The funding is provided through HUD's Assisted Living Conversion Program which supports the transformation of housing into units that can accommodate the special needs of seniors seeking to remain in their homes.
Click here to view the press release and list of grant recipients.
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Senators Advocate for PACE Changes
Last week, a bipartisan group of Senators sent a letter to CMS suggesting changes to the Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). In the letter, the Senators note that CMS is currently in the process of revising the federal PACE regulations and include recommendations for program improvements. Notably, the letter suggests allowing PACE to offer services in settings outside the PACE center, including Adult Day Health programs. The letter also advises that CMS should allow for broader inclusion of community physicians, care teams tailored to the needs of the individuals, and concurrent state/federal review of applications.
Click here to view the letter.
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| American Association on Health and Disability |
New NDNRC Fact Sheet on VA Healthcare
The American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD)
has announced the publication of a new fact sheet for the National Disability Navigator Resource Collaborative (NDNRC). Information for Veterans Regarding Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare is intended to provide Navigators, Assisters and Certified Application Counselors with information about veterans and their eligibility for healthcare through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The fact sheet addresses questions such as eligibility to receive healthcare through VA, enrollment in the VA's healthcare system, family coverage, and marketplace eligibility. This fact sheet also provides additional assistance for those assisting consumers with disabilities, specifically veterans, as it adds to a series of fact sheets which have addressed issues such as a health plans' summary of benefits and coverage, rehabilitation and habilitation therapies and devices, and prescription medication benefits.
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Health Management Associates
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Webinar: The Missing Link: Stable Housing as a Key Determinant of Health in Medicaid Populations
Health Management Associates (HMA) is holding a webinar on stable housing and Medicaid populations. The webinar will feature healthcare and housing experts on the front lines of ground-breaking work in this area. Mike Nardone of HMA will discuss the link between housing and Medicaid-financed health care; John Lovelace of UMPC for You will offer a case study of his organization's growing, three-year-old Shelter Care Plus program for the homeless; and William C. Kelly, Jr. of Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF) will discuss the Medicaid business case for housing as a platform to serve the health needs of other low-income populations.
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Metropolitan Museum of Art
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Met Museum Workshops for Children with Visual Disabilities
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) is holding free workshops for children with visual disabilities on September 28, 2014, 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET. The workshops are for children ages 5-17 with visual disabilities and their families. These workshops support multiple areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum, including orientation and mobility, social skills, independent living skills, recreation and leisure skills, and sensory efficiency skills. Children will explore objects made from the earth through detailed descriptions, touch, and other sensory activities including creating their own clay artwork. Registration is required.
Click here to register for the workshop.
Click here to contact the museum for further information or call (212) 650-2010
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National Council on Aging
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Webinar: Suicide Prevention and Older Adults
The National Council on Aging Center for Healthy Aging is holding a webinar about suicide prevention and older adults on September 29, 2014, 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET. Research studies indicate that older adults die by suicide at a higher rate than the national average and when older adults attempt suicide, they are more likely to die. This webinar will discuss risk factors for suicide, screening tools, and effective prevention interventions as prevention is key to reducing suicide risk among older adults.
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Broadband and Older Adults
The Project to Get Older Adults online (Project GOAL) and the Time Warner Cable Research Program on Digital Communications recently held a special broadband event on the release and discussion of a paper that takes a look at the ongoing challenge of broadband access and adoption for older adults. The paper, written by John Horrigan, PhD., reviews the status of older adult broadband adoption and identifies key strategies going forward. The event featured a panel of experts that joined Dr. Horrigan to discuss the paper's findings, some of which include:
- 47 percent of seniors are online at home, compared with 70 percent of all Americans.
- Of the 29 percent of Americans with low levels of digital skills, half are seniors.
- Americans age 65 and older are most likely to say they do not see the relevance of being online.
- Models exist that show the way to engaging seniors with technology use.
The paper concludes that programs that have helped older adults get online with broadband will need to adapt to changing technology and the changing needs of their clients.
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2014 National Adult Day Services Conference
The National Adult Day Services Association, in partnership with the North Carolina Adult Day Services Association is hosting the National conference from October 9-11, 2014 in Charlotte, NC. The conference will feature key note speeches by Jeffery B. Klein, Senator Roy Afflerbach, Ret., and Lisa Johnson, RN, BSN, CHPN and this year's theme is "The Power of Adult Day Services: The Future of Care". The conference includes optional pre-conference intensives, site visits, and a State/International Leaders Luncheon on October 9, 2014.
Click here to register for the conference.
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The National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA) State of the States Conference
The National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA) is holding the State of the States Conference from October 27-30, 2014 in Philadelphia, PA. NASHIA's State of the States in Head Injury Meeting is the only annual national conference designed to foster communication and professional development among State government brain injury program administrators. Each year, approximately 100 key State and federal government employees, consumers, Brain Injury Association of America chartered State affiliates, and other professionals responsible for administering an array of brain injury prevention, rehabilitation, community integration programs and services, gather for the conference. The State of the States conference offers plenary and workshop sessions on a variety of topics covering emerging federal and State issues and promising practices on service delivery, as well as opportunities for information sharing among participants.
Click here to register for the conference.
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2014 National Lifespan Respite Conference and Lifespan Respite Grantee/Partner Learning Symposium
The Tennessee Respite Coalition will host the 2014 National Lifespan Respite Conference in Nashville, TN on October 7-9, 2014 and the Lifespan Respite Grantee/Partner Learning Symposium on October 10, 2014. The conference will include breakout sessions on any aspect of planned or emergency respite service delivery, access, research, evaluation, best practices or innovation. The conference theme, Get in Tune with Respite, reflects the great musical city of Nashville and challenges conference attendees to learn and share how respite can create harmony for families in care-giving situations.
Click here to register for the conference.
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Moose on Supreme Court Lawn in WY
A picture was taken of a moose in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on the morning of September 24. This male moose was pictured on the lawn of the State Supreme Court and seemed to have settled on the lawn. Moose are one of the 18 large mammal species known to occur in Wyoming.
Click here to view the moose!
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