This page is dedicated to providing NADSA members with critical updates on a wide range of topics. Please check it periodically for new information.
The following links highlight the benefits of Adult Day Services. These include two feature stories about NADSA Member ADS centers and the other is a column written by former Board Member Lydia Missaelides and current Institutional/Academic Partner (NYU) Tina Sadarangani.
https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/daryl-hannah-s-mane-attraction-235344453810
The annual independently funded Genworth and CareScout Cost of Care Survey for 2024 is now available. Once again, Adult Day Services is by far the most cost-effective option for seniors and adults with developmental disabilities to age in place.
LTQA & ATI Advisory’s webinar, A Deep Dive on In-Home Support Services, Caregiver Supports, and Social Needs Benefits: How Medicare Advantage Plans are Using These Benefits to Meaningfully Meet Members’ Needs, marking the release of our latest report.
Free FTC Webinar: Help Older Adults Avoid Fraud: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is offering a free, 30-minute webinar on March 6 and March 9 about top frauds reported in 2022, with a focus on how they affect older adults, and how you can protect people from scams. To sign up for one of these webinars, please click on the link below:
CMS Public Comment: provided the opportunity to offer comments on a proposed new Rule to implement provisions of the Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA), the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CAA), the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA), and the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act of 2018. Comments will be accepted until midnight on February 13th. Below are the comments NADSA Policy Advisory Sen. Roy Afflerbach (Ret.) posted to CMS today.
C-SNPS: PERMITTING C-SNPS TO OFFER PLANS THAT ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF BENEFICIARIES, EVEN IF THEIR SPECIFIC DISEASE OR CHRONIC CONDITIONS ARE DIFFERENT, IS AN IMPORTANT STEP FORWARD FOR INTEGRATED LONG-TERM CARE. IT IS THE NEEDS OF AN INDIVIDUAL, THE ADLS AND IADLS THAT SHOULD DETERMINE ENTRY INTO A C-SNP, NOT THE SPECIFIC DIAGNOSIS.
MA PROVIDER DIRECTORIES: IN ADDITION TO REQUIRING MA PROVIDER DIRECTORIES TO INCLUDE THE “CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC CAPABILITIES” OF EACH PROVIDER, AND PROVIDER LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITY FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES, MA PLANS THEMSELVES SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO INCLUDE WITHIN THE DIRECTORY A COMPLETE LIST OF SPECIFICALLY WHAT PROVIDER SERVICE OPTIONS THEY INCLUDE, SUCH AS ADULT DAY SERVICES, HOMECARE, HOME HEALTH, HOSPICE, ETC. IT IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO OBTAIN THIS INFORMATION WITHOUT GOING THROUGH A TIME-CONSUMING AND SOMETIMES EXPENSIVE LONG-DISTANCE MULTIPLE-CALL CYCLE TO EACH INDIVIDUAL PLAN.
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH: IT IS CRITICAL TO AFFIRM PLAN RESPONSIBILITIES TO PROVIDE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES AND TO STRENGTHEN NETWORK ADEQUACY REQUIREMENTS ACROSS ALL DISCIPLINES. ESTABLISHING WAIT TIME STANDARDS FOR PRIMARY CARE SERVICES AND APPLYING THESE SAME STANDARDS TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES IS EQUALLY CRITICAL.
ADULT DAY HEALTH CARE ADDITIONAL: PRIVATE PAY CONSUMERS, PRIVATE INSURERS, AND THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION RECOGNIZE ADULT DAY HEALTH CARE IS A MORE COST-EFFECTIVE WAY TO PROVIDE A LEVEL OF CARE EQUAL TO THAT OF A SKILLED NURSING FACILITY. YET, CMS HAS DRAGGED ITS FEET ENCOURAGING MA AND OTHER MANAGED CARE ENTITIES TO OFFER ADHC TO ENROLLEES. INCLUDING ADHC AS A SUPPLEMENTAL BENEFIT OPPORTUNITY WAS A START BUT HAS FAILED TO ACHIEVE ITS POTENTIAL BECAUSE PLANS WOULD HAVE TO REDUCE OR ELIMINATE OTHER SUPPLEMENTAL BENEFITS TO PAY FOR ADHC. CMS SHOULD PROVIDE A PORTION OF THE SAVINGS FROM DEFERRED SNF ADMISSIONS TO MA PLANS TO OFFER ADHC. CMS SHOULD ALSO ADVOCATE TO CONGRESS TO AUTHORIZE ADHC AS AN FFS BENEFIT IN LIEU OF A SNF.
Public Health Emergency (PHE) and the National Emergency: On May 11, the Administration plans to lift the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) and the National Emergency. The following are resources for PHE Unwinding:
Strengthening Tribal and State Partnerships to Prepare for Unwinding
Podcast on Respite Care from the ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center. The ARCH podcast series, through compelling interviews with innovators, explores aspects of model respite services that make them innovative and exemplary, with the intent to help replicate them nationwide. Listen! https://archrespite.org/innovative-and-exemplary-respite/arch-podcast-series. Here are additional ARCH products (also in Spanish) that would be of interest to caregivers and providers:
New ADS PSA Available to NADSA Members: NADSA has created a short Public Service Announcement (PSA) for Members to share with legislators, agencies, community leaders and other interested parties that highlights the many benefits of Adult Day Services as part of the continuum of long-term care. NADSA Board Chair Bill Zagorski and NADSA Public Policy Advisor Sen. Roy Afflerbach (Ret.) provide a variety of insights and statistics which demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of Adult Day Services and how it can allow participants to age in place vs. institutional care. Log into the NADSA Members section to view and share the video.
Unwinding the Public Health Emergency: A variety of resources, including template communications materials and toolkits, are available to assist states and stakeholders in planning and preparing for the end of the PHE as we get closer to the unwinding of the Medicaid continuous coverage protection. Click here for additional information and resources. Additional information can be found by clicking on the following link: https://www.shvs.org/resource/phe-unwinding-resources-for-states/
New Better Medicare Alliance (BMA) Issue Brief: “Sustaining and Strengthening Medicare Advantage.” As CMS considers rules and regulations impacting Medicare Advantage for 2024 and beyond, BMA has released a new set of policy recommendations titled, “Sustaining and Strengthening Medicare Advantage: Policy Recommendations to Maintain Accountability and Support Beneficiaries.” Additionally, BMA has created a toolkit that offers shareable graphics, suggested Tweets, and even a sample press release to help message these important policy solutions: BMA Social Media Toolkit
ACL Releases Annual Summary of Statistics On Older Adults: The Profile of Older Americans is an annual summary of the available statistics related to the older population in the United States. Principal sources of data are the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Center for Health Statistics, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Profile illustrates the shifting demographics of Americans age 65 and older. It includes key topic areas such as future population growth, marital status, living arrangements, income, employment, and health. This year’s report includes a special section on family caregivers. In addition to the full report, ACL’s Profile of Older Americans webpage also contains individual charts/graphs as image files. Also on this page are Excel tables from this and past years, along with previous years’ profiles.
National Council on Disability Report: Strengthening the HCBS Ecosystem: Responding to Dangers of Congregate Settings during COVID-19. The National Council on Disability has issued a detailed report which points out the flaws in the HCBS funding and it’s impact resulting in the deaths of a disproportionate number of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) living in congregate settings during the pandemic. Click here to read the report.
IMPACT Lived Experience Panel releases two reports on research study outcomes and ethics in ePCTs for PLWD and their care partners. The two reports share highlights and insights gained during meetings with the LEP facilitated by IMPACT’s Patient Caregiver Relevant Outcomes Core and the Ethics and Regulation Core in the first cycle of the Lived Experience Panel. The LEP reflects a coordinated effort between the IMPACT Collaboratory and the Alzheimer’s Association.
The 2021-2022 Lived Experience Panel Report: Priorities for Person and Caregiver Relevant Outcomes in Dementia Intervention Research, by Antonia V. Bennett, PhD, Laura C. Hanson, MD, MPH, Gary Epstein-Lubow, MD, Sheryl Zimmerman, PhD, summarizes the discussions with the Lived Experience Panel and members from the Patient Caregiver Relevant Outcomes Core about research study outcomes that are important to people living with dementia and their care partners.
The 2021-2022 Lived Experience Panel Report: Ethical Challenges in Conducting Research Using a Waiver of Informed Consent with People Living with Dementia, by Emily Largent, PhD, JD, RN, Jason Karlawish, MD Steve Joffe, MD, MPH, Gary Epstein-Lubow, MD, documents the insights gained from two meetings between members of IMPACT’s Ethics and Regulation Core and the Lived Experience Panel, featuring conversations regarding the ethical challenges related to conducting embedded pragmatic clinical trials among people living with dementia and their care partners using waivers of informed consent.
Key Elements Behind Successful AAA and Health Care Relationships to Improve Services for Older Adults. This blog post examines what factors, such as business skills and policy environments, were associated with successful partnerships between AAAs and health care entities, based on recent research from the Yale School of Public Health, the University of California Berkeley School of Public Health, Scripps Gerontology Center of Excellence at Miami University, and USAging. Read more.
HHS Approves 12-month Extension of Postpartum Medicaid and CHIP coverage in HI, MD and Ohio. An estimated additional 34,000 people are now eligible for essential care for a full year after pregnancy, thanks to the American Rescue Plan and the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to strengthen maternal health coverage. Read more.
The second installment of the “Public Health and Faith” webinar series takes place September 14, 2022 at 12:00 noon EDT. The session will showcase the leading work of The Balm in Gilead, Inc., the Tennessee Department of Health, and the Dementia Ministry at Due West UMC. The goal of the series is to explore the ways in which public health can partner with faith institutions in their dementia caregiving efforts, and highlight the work faith-based organizations (FBOs) do to support people living with dementia, their families and caregivers. To register, click here.
COVID-19 on the Brain: Neurological Symptoms Persist in Majority of Long-Haulers. UC San Diego longitudinal study describes short- and long-term neurological symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection; identifies new subgroup with advanced symptoms. To read the article, click here. Here is the link to the study: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/acn3.51578
Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) and Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill (SSBCI) bode well for the future of ADS/ADHCC. The SDOH report issued jointly by the Better Medicare Alliance (BMA) and NORC at the University of Chicago in August 2021 was reaffirmed in July 2022 this is direction insurers are moving and data is the driver. The extent to which ADS/ADHC will be a future provider of these services will depend in great part upon member participation in the NADSA Data Initiative. Here is a link to the BMA-NORC report: https://bettermedicarealliance.org/publication/report-innovative-approaches-to-addressing-social-determinants-of-health-for-medicare-advantage-beneficiaries/
A new report, The Case for Expanding Caregiver Support Through Adult Day Services, released today by Archstone Foundation, details how adult day services benefit not only the older adults enrolled in their programs, but also improve the well-being of family caregivers. The report highlights key insights from Archstone’s Family Caregiving Initiative and offers next steps for ADS providers, funders, and policymakers. Read it here.
ATI Advisory and LTQA released a new data brief, “Growth in New, Non-Medical Benefits Since Implementation of the CHRONIC Care Act,” providing data and insights on supplemental benefit offerings in Medicare Advantage including how many plans offer new, non-medical supplemental benefits in plan year 2022, which authorities plans use to offer these services, and benefit growth over time. See these data and more in the full brief, available here.
MEPAP Activity Professional Certified (APC) Course. The Modular Education Program for Activity Professionals course is being offered via zoom starting April 15 and will conclude on June 11. Schedule of classes will be from 5:00-9:00 p.m. every Friday and 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. every Saturday. For additional information and to register go to www.nccap.org. For any questions please feel free to contact the instructors: Joan Marie Granato (201) 736-5301; Julie Echon (201) 755-8485.
WeCareAdvisor Study seeks family caregivers for persons living with dementia. WeCareAdvisor is a web-based tool to help manage behavioral and psychological symptoms and improve the quality of life for people living with dementia and their caregivers and was developed by researchers at Drexel University and University of California, Davis. For more information, email WeCare@drexel.edu, call 267-359-1111, or visit http://wecareadvisorstudy.com.
Free Webinar: How to Advocate for and Talk About Home- and Community-Based Services. This webinar, co-presented by Justice in Aging and The Arc, will provide an overview of HCBS and the state of legislation in Congress, present the results of messaging research, and provide participants with best practices for advocating and sharing stories. The webinar will take place on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET. To register, click here.
Best Practices for Integrating Health Equity into Embedded Pragmatic Clinical Trials in Dementia Care. The IMPACT Collaboratory’s leadership and Health Equity Team have worked with experts from across the Collaboratory to create a set of best practices related to integrating health equity into the design and conduct of embedded pragmatic clinical trials for people living with dementia and their care partners. Click here to download the guidance document.
NADSA Chairman Bill Zagorski was recently interviewed by Home Health Care News about the challenges of centers reopening after COVID-19. To read the article (PDF), click here.
Genworth Insurance releases 2021 Cost of Care Study: Adult day services continues to be the most affordable long-term care option: Genworth Cost-of-Care Study
Review 2021 Important Updates Here