By Geralyn Magan

The LTSS Center recommends that you put these 5 articles on your reading list for November.

A PEACE CORPS OF CAREGIVERS

The Administration for Community Living (ACL), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is taking steps to establish a National Volunteer Care Corps. The Volunteer Care Corps—a kind of domestic Peace Corps for caregiving—would mobilize volunteers to help older adults across the nation age in place while giving family caregivers a break.

In September, ACL awarded a 5-year cooperative agreement to the Oasis Institute to establish the corps. Three organizations will join Oasis in spearheading the project:

• The Caregiver Action Network.
• The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging.
• The Altarum Institute, which works to improve care for vulnerable older adults.

The initial grant to the group is $3.8 million. Total funding for the 5-year project is expected to be $19 million.

Project leaders will invite organizations across the country to submit proposals to serve the “non-medical” needs of older adults and younger adults with disabilities. Next spring, up to 30 organizations will get 18-month grants of $30,000 to $250,000 to implement their proposals.

“We want the organizations that apply to be very flexible and creative,” said Anne Montgomery, deputy director of Altarum’s Program to Improve Eldercare. “And we’re aiming to create a volunteer infrastructure that can last and be sustainable.”

HONORING CAREGIVERS AT THE ROSE PARADE

The SCAN Foundation will celebrate family caregivers with a float at the 2020 Rose Parade on New Year’s Day in Pasadena, CA. Media outlets will broadcast the parade to a live television audience of 37 million viewers beginning at 8 a.m. Eastern time (11 a.m. Pacific time) on Jan. 1, 2020.

The parade float, entitled, “Hope’s Heroes: Honoring Caregivers of All Generations,” is an imaginative take on “my home is my castle,” with caregivers serving as the protectors of one’s vision of home, according to the foundation. Eight caregivers representing all generations have been selected to ride the float.

“The Rose Parade is an opportunity to celebrate caregivers who are heroes to millions of older adults who wish to age well in the place they call home, while shining a light on aging as part of living that affects all families,” said Dr. Bruce Chernof, the SCAN Foundation’s president and CEO.

Anyone can share their caregiving story through The SCAN Foundation’s social media channels. Learn more and recognize a caregiver at HonoringAllCaregivers.org.

MAKING STREETS SAFER FOR OLDER PEDESTRIANS

A new report from researchers at the UMass Boston’s Gerontology Institute identifies the risks facing older pedestrians in Massachusetts and suggests strategies for improving their safety.

Elizabeth Dugan, a UMass Boston gerontology associate professor and a fellow in the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston, led the research team. The team also included UMass Boston gerontology professor Nina Silverstein, another LTSS Center fellow.

Analyzing statewide crash data collected over a 10-year period, the team identified 4,472 reported motor vehicle crashes involving pedestrians age 55 or older between 2006 and 2015. The most frequently cited causes for the crashes involved drivers and included visibility issues, inattention, and failure to yield right of way. Older pedestrians were most often struck while walking in the road and at intersection crosswalks, particularly during rush hour.

“Higher crash rates occurred during winter months when light is lowest, there are more hours of darkness, and sidewalks may be obstructed or slippery due to snow,” according to the Gerontology Institute blog.

The report makes several recommendations for reducing risks to older pedestrians, including raising awareness, prioritizing infrastructure improvements, and urging municipalities to increase the safety and visibility of crosswalks

STATE WORKGROUPS CONFRONT THE DIRECT CARE WORKFORCE CRISIS

A growing number of states are responding to the direct care workforce crisis by developing state-level workgroups to identify workforce challenges and recommend solutions to meet those challenges. Workgroup members typically represent a variety of stakeholders, including consumers, family caregivers, workers, long-term care providers, and payers, according to a recent article published by PHI.

“Together, these stakeholders reach agreement on how best to address the workforce shortage, which increases the likelihood of action once the workgroup issues its recommendations,” writes Allison Cook, PHI’s New York policy manager.

PHI looked at 16 workgroups that states have convened since 2003. The workgroups varied in their size, duration, structure, and scope. But the recommendations shared in reports from 11 workgroups were remarkably similar, according to PHI. The most commonly recommended workforce solutions included:

• Increase compensation. (Recommended by 10 workgroups.)
• Improve training. (Recommended by 9 workgroups.)
• Boost public awareness. (Recommended by 7 workgroups.)
• Develop career advancement opportunities. (Recommended by 6 workgroups.)
• Establish workforce data systems. (Recommended by 6 workgroups.)

OLDER ADULTS ARE DRAWN TO NEW HOUSING ARRANGEMENTS

New York Times columnist Paula Span shed light recently on alterative housing arrangements that older adults are pursuing in an effort to maintain independence while reducing isolation. Those alternatives include shared housing, cohousing, and village organizations.

None of these alternative is new, Span admits. But all are experiencing a resurgence in popularity because they “appeal to those hoping to avoid the high costs and institutional nature of assisted living and nursing homes, or at least stave them off for as long as possible.”

None of the new approaches can fully address the dearth of affordable supportive housing for older adults, admits Span.

“Still, if more groups try out these programs, and if government and nonprofits provide support, older adults could remain in their communities longer, with stronger social connections,” she concludes.

MORE READING MATERIAL

Interested in doing more reading? Visit News That Caught Our Eye on the LTSS Center website.