By Mac Daniel
A new LTSS Center research project will identify strategies for creating a sustainable LTSS system.
Where do we go from here?
The coronavirus pandemic has laid bare the shortcomings of the long-term service and supports (LTSS) system in serving older adults who are experiencing higher rates of COVID-related infection and death, particularly in communities of color and in areas with higher rates of LTSS use.
Now, a series of robust conversations have begun among academics, policymakers, advocates, LTSS leaders, older adults, and family caregivers in Massachusetts to identify strategies for improving safety and creating a sustainable LTSS system.
The three-year effort is supported by the Tufts Health Plan Foundation.
Researchers from the Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation at Community Catalyst, the Massachusetts Senior Action Council, and the Leading Age LTSS Center @UMass Boston will conduct listening sessions and a statewide survey of older adults and family caregivers in communities of color across Massachusetts to ensure that their views guide the development and promotion of recommendations for transforming the way LTSS is provided and financed.
Data gathered from these activities, combined with a set of key stakeholder interviews, will be used to develop recommendations for policy and practice changes necessary to create an LTSS system that delivers high-quality care to older adults and family caregivers across Massachusetts.
Project partners will then support older adults/caregiver leaders as they share their insights about LTSS reform with policymakers and the public. The partners will also share strategies and lessons with advocates, older adults, and family caregivers working to reform the LTSS system in other states and nationally.
For more information or to participate in this effort, contact:
- Renée Markus Hodin,deputy director, Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation.
- Carolyn Villers,executive director, Massachusetts Senior Action Council.
- Marc A. Cohen, co-director, LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston.
Read more on the UMass Boston Gerontology Institute blog.