The Buzz

UC Berkeley’s Investigative Reporting Program shares the experiences of older adults living in community. The latest took a reporter across the globe to learn about the increasing popularity of social prescriptions for treating loneliness and isolation.

Visit the Better Care Playbook, an easy-to-navigate online resource center that can help you translate research into action. The Playbook provides evidence for improving complex care programs, examples from the field, webinars on implementing innovations, and practical resources for implementation.

A Master Plan for Aging (MPA) lays out a roadmap to help states transform the infrastructure and coordination of services for their aging populations and people with disabilities. A new tool from the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) outlines tenets essential to successful MPA development and shares examples of best practices. Learn about the unexpected benefits of an MPA and how to get started.

Read a new blog from Integrated Healthcare Association and Purchaser Business Group on Health that evaluates the relationship of payment to provider organization performance on person-centered care measures.

The quality of person-centered care that an older adult receives is heavily dependent upon race, insurance, and income level. A recent report explores ways to increase the availability of person-centered care.

Aging successfully, safely, and happily requires a range of support services. A recent brief from the Convergence Center for Policy Resolution highlights policy opportunities that bridge efforts between housing and community-based service organizations. A second brief reimagines how the nursing home quality rating system could better define and capture the lived experiences of institutionalized residents.

Related, the Better Care Playbook offers evidence and implementation resources at the intersection of housing, health, and social needs.

According to the latest Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research (AP-NORC) survey, some segments of the older population – especially those who live in rural areas and who are Black or Hispanic – have more concerns about the availability and access to services that support aging in their local community. See the related Associated Press article.

A new report from the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging identifies technological opportunities to advance health and home care solutions.

The latest Center for Health Care Strategies brief highlights how a Master Plan for Aging (MPA) can help states plan for the future, be responsive in a crisis, and embrace new funding and policy opportunities. Learn how to get started.

The Aging and Disability Business Institute developed an Evidence Bank to help community-based organizations (CBOs) highlight their value as contracting partners to health care entities.

How we talk about complex care is not consistent across sectors. The messaging guide developed by The National Center for Complex Health and Social Needs and the Center for Health Care Strategies aims to further the field. Watch the recent webinar.

Providing quality care to people with complex needs remains one of the most pressing issues facing our health care system. Join the Bipartisan Policy Center tomorrow, March 31, for a webinar on potential federal policy solutions.

The quality of person-centered care an older adult receives is dependent upon race, insurance, and income level, according to the Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation and Leading Age LTSS Center @UMass Boston. The new report also explores practice and policy solutions to increase the availability of person-centered care.

The National Center for Complex Health and Social Needs (see blog) and the Center for Health Care Strategies (see blog) developed a messaging guide and infographic to help providers, advocates, and others talk about complex care. Join today’s webinar to learn more.

Providing quality care to people with complex needs remains one of the most pressing issues facing our health care system. Join the Bipartisan Policy Center on March 31 for a webinar on potential federal policy solutions. 

We partner with UC Berkeley’s Investigative Reporting Program to build awareness on aging and elevate how multiple sectors affect the lives of older adults. A recent CalMatters piece shared challenges nursing home residents often experience when considering transitioning back into the community. 

A new analysis by ATI Advisory shows that more Medicare Advantage (MA) plans are offering Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill (SSBCI) in 2022. Learn more about which plans are offering which benefits.

More states are interested in developing Master Plans for Aging (MPAs). Read New York’s announcement, and a recent blog highlighting a podcast on lessons learned in Colorado and Texas.

To advance MPA activities, the Center for Health Care Strategies seeks Letters of Intent for states to participate in a learning collaborative. The deadline for submission is Monday, January 31.

Through our partnerships with the Investigative Reporting Program at UC Berkeley and the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research (AP-NORC), reporters are sharing the experiences of older adults living in community. The following coverage rounded out 2021:

• An article in The Washington Post explained how family caregivers are using monitoring technology to keep older loved ones with cognitive decline safe. The piece looked at related issues of affordability, access, and quality of care as well as ethical questions about privacy.
• How are older adults dealing with ongoing COVID-19 isolation? A Travel + Leisure article recounted one retiree’s experiences and train travels. A Next Avenue piece shared how an intergenerational program in San Francisco expanded its purpose to support older and younger people during the pandemic.
• Polling explored people’s opinions of telehealth and The Associated Press unpacked how preferences vary based on age, race and ethnicity, education, and income.

An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research (AP-NORC) poll finds that preferences for telehealth vary based on age, race and ethnicity, education, and income. Appointment availability and avoiding COVID-19 are top reasons respondents chose telehealth, but many older adults, especially people of color, have concerns related to access and quality.

“The expanded use of telehealth provides a tremendous opportunity to rethink how we provide health care through the lens of equity and inclusion,” said Dr. Sarita A. Mohanty, President & CEO of The SCAN Foundation. “Older adults see telehealth as a faster, more convenient, and in some cases more affordable way to access care. Addressing their concerns about access to technology and quality of care could go a long way to expanding its use even further.”

Read the related Associated Press coverage.

Older adults can age well in their community of choice with proper supports and services. This can take the form of family, friends, neighbors, and even community centers where older adults can connect with people their own age. Watch as three older adults share their stories.

California’s Master Plan for Aging calls for the modernization of the state’s Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy Program (HICAP). Recommendations focus on ways to reach more Medicare beneficiaries and prioritize equity in their service offerings. Learn more.

Learn the who, what, where, and how of home and community-based services (HCBS) in a new fact sheet from AARP as part of a series on transforming long-term services and supports (LTSS) as part of the LTSS State Scorecard.

More states are considering their own Master Plan for Aging (MPA). Read about state activity, see what New York state is doing, and get started with this toolkit and related webinar.