Grants of more
than $1.3 billion to every state, the
District of Columbia, and five
territories to continue implementing
programs that help older adults
live healthy, safely and independently
in their communities were
awarded today by Kathy Greenlee,
assistant secretary for aging in the
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services.
The
grants will help older adults avoid
institutional care through home and
community-based supportive programs with
an emphasis on prevention and
wellness, nutrition, family caregiver
and respite services.
“These
services complement ongoing
prevention-based efforts in the medical
and
health care systems, particularly since
Medicare does not pay for them.
They help prevent hospital readmissions.
They provide transportation to
doctor's appointments and support some
of life's most basic functions,”
said Assistant Secretary Greenlee. “This
assistance is especially
critical for nearly 3 million seniors
who receive intensive in-home
services, half a million of whom would
otherwise qualify for nursing
home admission.”
These
programs make a difference every day for
millions of older adults and
their caregivers:
Caregiver Services: The
National
Family Caregiver Support Program
provides caregivers with access to
services such as respite care and
counseling. Families are the nation’s
primary provider of long-term care, but
caregiving responsibilities
demand time and money from families who
too often are already strapped
for both. The physical, financial and
emotional demands of caregiving
can lead to a breakdown of the
caregiver’s health. Research indicates
caregivers suffer from higher rates of
depression than non-caregivers
and caregivers suffer a mortality rate
that is 63 percent higher than
non-caregivers. Nearly 800,000
caregivers are projected to receive
services, helping them care for people
with Alzheimer’s disease or
those with frailties that would qualify
for nursing home admissions.
Nutrition:
Studies
have found that 50 percent of all
persons age 85 and over are in need
of assistance with certain activities of
daily living (ADL), including
obtaining and preparing food. AoA
projects its network of partners and
organizations will deliver approximately
219 million meals in FY 2012.
These meals help older adults improve
their nutritional intake, provide
an essential service for many of their
caregivers, and also provide
seniors an opportunity for social
interaction.
Supportive
Services for
Helping Frail Seniors Remain at Home:
Home and community-based
long-term services and supports assist
seniors living at home who are
unable to perform critical activities of
daily living, such as bathing,
eating, or dressing unaided. Among the
services these funds are
projected to support include nearly 7.5
million hours of adult day care
and 21 million rides to critical places
like the doctor, pharmacy, or
grocery stores.
Preventive
Health Services: AoA
is committing more than $20 million in
FY 2012 to evidence-based
programs focused on fitness, wellness,
falls prevention,
chronic-disease self management, and
medication management.
These
grant awards are annually awarded by
formula for the states and
territories based on their share of the
population age 60 and older.
Each state develops a comprehensive
service plan before receiving
federal funds. States and territories
recognize the value of these
programs, typically leveraging as much
as $3 additional dollars for
every federal dollar, contributing to
the outcomes expected from these
awards.
Of
the 57.8 million seniors 60 and older
living in the United States, 5.5
million are living in poverty and more
than 27 percent have difficulty
in performing at least one activity of
daily living. These services
contribute significantly to helping
those seniors with frailties, many
of who are economically vulnerable, to
remain in their own homes and
avoid or delay entry into nursing homes.
