The SCAN Foundation - Affordability & Income Security

Measuring the Health and Wealth of Older Americans

scanadmin — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 21:34:30 +0000

“Older Americans 2010: Key Indicators of Well-Being," provides a comprehensive picture of our older population’s health and well-being,” a consortium of federal agencies said in announcing the latest edition of the encyclopedic chart book. Fifteen agencies collaborated to produce “an accessible compendium of indicators drawn from the most reliable official statistics. The indicators are again categorized into five broad groups: population, economics, health status, health risks and behaviors, and health care.”

Design of Living Spaces Impacts Comfort and Social Involvement

scanadmin — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 21:23:08 +0000

Assisted living communities are homes for people who need long-term services and supports, but are strong enough physically and mentally to have a significant degree of independence. They are not bed-ridden, or suffering from severe dementia, as is often the case with many nursing home residents. Nevertheless, the designs of assisted living apartments often are not comfortable and welcoming, according to a December 2007 report, “Physical Environments of Assisted Living,” in The Gerontologist, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

If Your Parents Grew Very Old, You Have a Good Chance to Escape Alzheimer’s Disease

scanadmin — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 21:13:22 +0000

The devastating plague of Alzheimer’s disease—five million victims now, and perhaps 10 million by 2020—forces millions of patients and their families to spend heavily for long-term services and supports, particularly in nursing homes. A new study, “Exceptional Parental Longevity Associated with Lower Risk of Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Decline," provides a picture of some lucky people who may dodge the Alzheimer’s bullet because of their favorable genetic inheritance.

Health Care Reform and the Role of Family Caregivers

scanadmin — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:48:36 +0000

Family members provide most of the care for people who need long-term services and supports. The value of their unpaid labor, if reckoned in dollars, far outweighs the federal and state money spent on caregiving. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will have a major impact on caregiving, according to a July 2010 report, “Health Care Reform and Family Caregivers,” by the Family Caregivers Alliance.

Wealth Can Buy Health When You Get Very Old

scanadmin — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:44:51 +0000

People with substantial assets may be able to afford the long-term services and supports that will keep them alive and flourishing longer than less affluent people, according to the July 2010 report, “The Risk of Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure at End of Life,” by the National Bureau of Economic Research. The study looked at health care spending in the last year of life, which averaged $11,681. However, there were huge variations.

CHCS Profiles for State Innovation Roadmaps on Improving the U.S. Long-Term Care Delivery System

scanadmin — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 18:40:00 +0000

The Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS), with support from The SCAN Foundation, released a set of Profiles of State Innovation Roadmaps that synthesize lessons from states for better managing the complex array of long-term supports and services (LTSS).

Medicaid Spending: the Data from Every State

scanadmin — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 02:29:29 +0000

Medicaid spending has increased substantially during the economic downturn as people become unemployed, lose employer-sponsored coverage, and qualify for benefits. Kaiser Family Foundation's, “Hoping for Economic Recovery, Preparing for Health Reform: A Look at Medicaid Spending, Coverage and Policy Trends -- Results from a 50-State Medicaid Budget Survey for State Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011,” provides an annual budget survey for Medicaid spending in all 50 states.

Hiring Relatives to Help with Care is Good for People on Medicaid

scanadmin — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 02:23:49 +0000

The “cash and counseling” program permits people who need long-term services and supports to decide how to spend the money available to them through government programs. “Cash and Counseling was implemented successfully in three different states, with three different benefit levels, types of services covered, target populations, program rules, and structures for providing counseling and bookkeeping services,” according to the August 8, 2007 report “Cash & Counseling: Improving the Lives of Medicaid Beneficiaries Who Need Personal Care or Home and Community-Based Services,” by the consulting firm Mathematica Policy Research, reviewing a test run of the new approach to paying for services and supports.

Disability Disparities Linked to Education, Income, Race, and Ethnicity

scanadmin — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 02:12:34 +0000

There are wide variations in the incidence of disability among different groups of the population. A higher rate of disability means an increased likelihood of needing long-term services and supports. “Reducing disability among disadvantaged groups would result in more equal health outcomes and substantial savings in long-term care costs,” according to the June 2010 report “Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Old-Age Disability in the U.S.,” by the Population Reference Bureau.

Health Problems Proliferate as Age Advances

scanadmin — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 01:54:41 +0000

Although older adults are most often relatively healthy, there is an increase in the incidence of serious disease and chronic conditions that come with advancing age, according to the 2008 report, “Trends in the Health of Older Californians: Data from the 2001, 2003 and 2005 California Health Interview Surveys,” by the UCLA Center for Health Policy research.