Division of Aging Updates: Inaugural issue

For the original publication, please click here. The following is a text version of the original publication.
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Division of Aging Updates: Inaugural issue 

Welcome to the inaugural issue of “Division of Aging Updates,” the Division of Aging’s new email update to keep you informed on the on the latest Aging news in Indiana. The Division is engaged in a number of initiatives this year and we plan to use these updates to keep you posted on those efforts as well as share other items of interest. Please bear with us as we work toward having these updates make regularly scheduled appearances in your inbox, which will also be available on the Division of Aging’s News & Announcements webpage. 

Indiana’s No Wrong Door planning grant focuses on developing a system to provide easier access to information and supported decision-making tools to assist with long-term services and supports. 

Perhaps our biggest priority is the No Wrong Door planning grant. This FSSA-wide initiative is focused on developing a three-year plan to transform Indiana’s system of long term services and supports into a No Wrong Door system. This system will provide individuals and their families with easier access to both information and supported decision-making tools to help them make informed choices about long term services and supports they may need. 

This system will rely heavily on our statewide Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) network. In preparation for the implementation of the No Wrong Door system, we are devoting much effort this year into development and enhancement of the ADRC network in preparation for the future. Other major initiatives include:

• Elder justice issues including examination of Adult Protective Services and Ombudsman services; 
  
• Continued implementation of the CHOICE program pilot project in four of our Area Agencies on Aging, including the preparation of a comprehensive report on long term services and supports; 
  
• Transition planning to meet the needs of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid’s Final Rule on Home and Community - Based Service Settings, including required elements of person centered counseling; and 
  
• Redesign of the state’s preadmission screening process for nursing facility placement. 
  

All of these efforts require us to be engaged more than ever with our stakeholders. The “DA Updates” will be one way for us to do that; they will also serve as a vehicle for announcing opportunities for stakeholders to review and comment on our plans and initiatives. We will also use these updates to share information from the broader aging network with news about what might be happening at the federal level, or in other states. 

We thank you for your interest in the long term services and supports provided through the Division and look forward to our collective conversations on these topics 

HEA 1391 Report Ready for Next Round of Public Comments Soon 

After receiving the HEA 1391 Task Force’s comments in April on the initial draft of the report due to the General Assembly next fall, the Division released its second draft (4-15-15) of the HEA 1391 report, which is available on the HEA 1391 webpage. Pull up a chair and get comfy – you’re invited to read the draft in its entirety along with the attachments. At this point, the Division of Aging is asking for feedback on 1) whether the questions posed to us are being correctly and adequately addressed, 2) other research and information sources, and 3) places in which we need more data/details. Please note we’re only focusing on content right now rather than sentence structure or grammatical errors. Submit comments regarding the HEA 1391 report toDAComments@fssa.in.gov. 

Public testimonies from earlier in the year are provided as an attachment; we will be addressing those issues in the next draft, which will be released in June 2015. 

Recently released Profile of Older Americans: 2014 

As statistician W. Edwards Deming once said, “In God we trust. All others must bring data.” The Administration for Community Living (ACL) recently released its “Profile of Older Americans: 2014,” a rundown of the over-65 population, using data from the U.S. Census, National Center for Health Statistics, and Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the report, between 1980 and 2013 the population over the age of 100 grew faster than the population over age 65. And, over the span of only ten years, the number of those ages 65 and over increased from roughly 36 million in 2003 to 45 million in 2013—about a 25 percent increase. Be aware: the population of older Americans is experiencing dynamic changes, and monitoring those trends over time is an important part of understanding current needs and preparing for future growth.