2015 HCBS Conference-Less Than 3 Weeks Away- Register Today!
Join us for the National Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Conference held in Washington, DC, August 31-September 3. Our Plenary session on Alzheimer's and Related Dementias Across Generations will feature a keynote speech by expert Dr. Ronald Petersen.
Dr. Petersen is a Professor of Neurology, the Cora Kanow Professor in Alzheimer's Disease Research, and a Mayo Clinic Distinguished Investigator. He is on the Board of Directors of the National Alzheimer's Association, is the Chair of the Advisory Council on Research, Care, and Services for the National Alzheimer's Project Act, and is on the World Dementia Council.
Following Dr. Petersen's speech, we will be joined by Family Advocates, Mary Hogan and Karlene Ellsworth, to engage in a conversation about the challenges of being a caregiver for a loved one with early onset Alzheimer's disease.
On Wednesday evening at 8pm we will be screening the documentary "I'll Be Me" which follow's Glen Campbell's final tour and his public goodbye after his diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
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Future Planning Webinar Recap
The National I&R Support Center hosted a webinar on Future Planning, which aims to provide support and resources to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD); their families, including parents or caregivers who are aging; and professionals who support them. The webinar was presented by The Arc experts, Robin Shaffert, Senior Executive Officer of Individual and Family Support and Jenny Sladen, Program Manager of National Initiatives. This presentation informed viewers about Future Planning and the resources available to inform people with disabilities and their families of the steps they should be taking to begin planning for their futures.
Click here to view the presentation and access the audio recording.
Click here to join to I&R Center's distribution list.
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HCBS Clearinghouse E-Clips
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This section of Friday Update highlights reports that have been added to the HCBS Clearinghouse within the past week. Visit www.nasuad.org/hcbs for more information.
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The United States of Aging Survey
The National Area Agencies on Aging (n4a), the National Council on Aging (NCOA), and UnitedHealthcare released a survey that collected data through telephone interviews from 1,650 older adults and influencers on aging. Influencers on aging are professionals that work with aging populations. The survey posed opinion based questions about the process of aging and the factors that are associated with it. The results reflect that 86 percent of respondents felt prepared for aging; however, 40 percent were most concerned about maintaining physical health and over 30 percent worried about mental health and memory.
Click here to access the report and findings.
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Community Living & Participation for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
To mark the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) and the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) released a memo and report on the status of community living over the past 50 years. The report includes an examination of the federal and state policies over this period of time, an explanation of what high-quality community living should look like, and the progression of research in this field over time. The report uses these findings to offer recommendations for improvement of services, access, and opportunity for the next 25 years.
Click here to access the report and findings.
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Administration for Community Living
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Disability Resources Available
Disability.gov offers reliable disability information and resources all in one convenient place. The website includes a series of 15 guides about topics ranging from disability benefits to housing assistance to job training programs. Some guides outline services that promote independence for individuals with disabilities as well. The website also offers information about local organizations and programs that promote inclusion and full community participation.
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| Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services |
Office of Minority Health Conference
The CMS Office of Minority Health is hosting a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Medicare & Medicaid and the 30th anniversary of the 1985 Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Black and Minority Health, commonly known as the Heckler Report. This is a full day conference featuring speakers and expert panelists presenting on the status of underserved populations since the first Heckler Report was written. The event will feature keynote speakers, Andy Slavitt, MBA, CMS Acting Administrator; and Dr. Michael McGinnis, MD, of the Senior Scholar Institute of Medicine. The event will take place on Tuesday, September 8, 2015, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. ET.
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Technical Assistance for the Applicability of the ADA for Child Welfare Systems
On Monday, August 10, 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Civil Rights and Administration for Children and Families released joint technical assistance for the applicability of the American's with Disabilities Act Title II and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. This technical assistance was issued to the administration of child welfare programs, activities, and services. The letter provides welfare agencies and family courts with the information to understand their legal obligations under Federal law, to ensure parents and prospective parents with disabilities receive equal treatment and access to parenting opportunities, and to eliminate discriminatory barriers.
Click here to view the letter.
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| Government Accountability Office |
GAO Report on Medicaid Prescription-Drug Fraud
On August 10th, the Government Accountability Office released a report titled "Additional Reporting May Help CMS Oversee Prescription-Drug Fraud Controls." The report examines Arizona, Florida, Michigan, and New Jersey's Medicaid payments for prescription drugs in 2011- including total expenditures, the number of beneficiaries receiving drugs, and the behaviors of both prescribers and beneficiaries. The GAO found that, of the 5.4 million beneficiaries, more than 16,000 potentially engaged in "doctor shopping;" the process of "visiting five or more doctors to receive prescriptions for antipsychotics or respiratory medication," and approximately 700 of them received more than a 1 year supply of a drug; an indicator of "redirection of prescription drugs for illegitimate purposes." These two phenomena come at a cost of $33 million and $1.6 million, respectively. The GAO identified two potential measures that could be taken to reduce the prevalence of these issues: Lock-in programs for noncontrolled substances, which restrict beneficiaries who have abused Medicaid before to one provider and prohibition of automatic refills, which would keep pharmacies from refilling prescriptions without any action from the consumer.
Click here to view the report.
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| California Health and Human Services Agency |
Call to U.S. Representatives to Reauthorize Older Americans Act
The State of California Health and Human Services Agency sent letters to all 53 California House of Representative members of Congress this week. These letters urge the Representatives to reauthorize the Older Americans Act (OAA), following its passage in the Senate last month. The Older Americans Act is an essential piece of legislation that provides many crucial services for American elders.
Click here to view the letter.
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| Health & Medicine Policy Research Group |
Webinar: Bridge Model Collaborative
The Bridge Model is a person-centered, social work-led, interdisciplinary model of transitional care that emphasizes collaboration among hospitals and community based service providers in order to ensure a seamless continuum of health and community care across settings. The Bridge Model National Office is hosting an upcoming webinar, "Doing Your Homework on Hospitals." The webinar is open to the public and will take place on Tuesday, September 22, 2015, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET.
Sharon Post, Director of the Center for Long Term Care Reform at Health & Medicine Policy Research Group, will lead a discussion about various approaches to learning about hospitals' performance, financials, and participation in Medicare demonstration projects. This information can help equip community based organizations with important background information for making an effective value proposition when developing partnerships with hospitals.
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Webinar: Dementia Training Requirements for Health Care Professionals
Justice in Aging is hosting a webinar on Dementia Training Requirements for Health Care Professionals, with specific reference to the report on the 50 state survey, commissioned by the Alzheimer's Association, on statutes and regulations. Participants will learn about the major findings of the study, what states are and are not doing to train providers, promising practices in each state, and more. The webinar will be presented by Georgia Burke, the Directing Attorney at Justice in Aging and Randi Chapman, the Director of State Affairs at the Alzheimer's Association. The webinar will take place on Monday, August 24, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. ET.
Click here to view details and register.
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| National Network of the Libraries of Medicine |
Webinar: Outreach to Caregivers
The National Network of the Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) is hosting a free webinar on the subject of outreach to caregivers. The webinar will be presented by Karen Marshall of the Kadamba Tree Foundation. It will include a discussion about her organization's NN/LM SE/A funded project to expand an adaptation of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving's "Caring for You, Caring for Me" Education and Support Program for Family and Professional Caregivers (CYCM). The webinar will take place on Wednesday, August 19, 2015, at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Click here to view details and register.
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| Ohio Department of Aging & Ohio Department of Higher Education |
Initiative Allows Elder Volunteers To Earn Free College Tuition
The Ohio Department of Higher Education and the Ohio Department of Aging joined forces to launch, GIVE Back. GO Forward, a program that allows area residents age 60 and older to earn free college tuition by volunteering in their community. This program provides elders with a three-credit-hour tuition waiver for one of two participating colleges in exchange for at least 100 hours of volunteer time at three local organizations in Youngstown, Ohio. The pilot of this program is beginning this year in Youngstown, Ohio. This unique program intends to provide students of any age with an opportunity to "jump start" their education.
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Research Triangle Institute International
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Webinar: Dementia Friendly Communities
The National Alzheimer's and Dementia Resource Center at the Research Triangle Institute International (RTI International) is hosting a Technical Assistance webinar on Dementia Friendly Communities. Participants will learn about concepts related to Dementia Friendly Communities and examples of implementing these concepts into the community. Emily Farah-Miller, the Project Director and Communities Liaison for ACT on Alzheimer's, and Annette Sandler, the Director of Aging and Disability Services at Jewish Family and Children's Service of Minneapolis will present at this webinar. T he webinar will take place on Tuesday, September 1, 2015, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.
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New National Policy Matters Edition: Social Security
This August marks the 80th anniversary of Social Security. It is also the 59th anniversary of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), which was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on August 1, 1956. SSDI provides financial resources to people with significant disabilities.
To celebrate these anniversaries, The Arc released a new edition of National Policy Matters, Social Security and SSI for People with I/DD and Their Families. The Arc also released a blog post to educate people about SSDI and the actions that must be taken to ensure these resources remain available. Click here to view the paper.
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New Centers for Independent Living National Onsite Training
The National Council for Independent Living is hosting Liberation to Leadership: The Role of CILs in Transforming Communities, a brand new national onsite training. The event will be held in Berkeley, California, September 15-17, 2015. The cost for the event is $150, and it includes a tour of the Ed Roberts Campus at the University of California at Berkeley. Registration closes on August 25,2015.
Click here to view the training information.
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Seeking Program Director for PHILLIPS Programs
PHILLIPS Programs is seeking applicants for the position of Program Director. The Program Director will be responsible for all aspects of managing the multi-jurisdiction program and future growth including administration, program development, budget preparation and oversight, community liaison and building relationships, intake and oversight of cases and billing, hiring, and training and supervision of all staff. Qualified applicants will have a minimum of 10 years of experience and knowledge of automated billing and case management software. Licensed Professional Counselor or Licensed Clinical Social Worker preferred. The posting closes on Monday, August 31, 2015.
Click here to view the full posting.
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