Washington state is top-ranked, but all states lag in caring for the aging and those living with disabilities
Washington state ranks 1st in the nation when it comes to meeting the long-term care needs of older residents and people with disabilities, according to a scorecard recently released by AARP.
However, the report, Picking Up The Pace of Change: A State Scorecard on Long-Term Services and Supports for Older Adults, People with Physical Disabilities, and Family Caregivers, shows that although most states have made some progress, the pace of change overall remains too slow and has not kept up with demographic demands — even in Washington.
Long-term services and supports (LTSS) include assistance with activities of daily living provided to older adults and people with disabilities who cannot perform these activities on their own because of physical, cognitive, or chronic health conditions. The types of assistance include such things as help with bathing, dressing, managing medications, preparing meals, and transportation, as well as support for family caregivers.
“This Scorecard sounds the alarm, but it also provides a range of tools states can use to spark new solutions and create systems that are aligned with the new realities of aging and living with a disability,” said Susan Reinhard, R.N., Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Director, AARP Public Policy Institute. “The proposed cuts to Medicaid—the largest public payer of long-term assistance—would result in millions of older adults and people with disabilities losing lifesaving supports.”
Developed by AARP with the support of The Commonwealth Fund and SCAN Foundation, the scorecard is the third in an annual series that ranks states overall and on 25 separate indicators in five key areas::
- Affordability and access
- Choice of setting and provider
- Quality of life and quality of care
- Support for family caregivers
- Effective transitions
Washington scored best (#2) in the “choice of setting and provider” category, which is defined as “a person-centered approach [that] allows for consumer choice and control of services.” It included such things as state spending on home- and community-based services for older adults and those with disabilities, access to home care workers for those same populations, and options for residential care when living at home is no longer possible.
Washington also had high scores for three of the other categories: effective transitions (3), support for family caregivers (5), and affordability and access (11).
Our state’s lowest ranking (15) was in the “quality of life and quality of care” category, which was defined as “consumers are treated with respect and preferences are honored when possible, with services maximizing positive outcomes.” This included the rate of employment for working-age adults with disabilities, nursing home residents with pressure sores and potentially inappropriate use of anti-psychotic medications for nursing home residents.
In addition to Washington, the five top-ranking states in the AARP report were Minnesota, Vermont, Oregon and Alaska (in that order). The five lowest-ranking states were (again, in order) Indiana, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee.
“This new Scorecard shows that it’s time for all states to accelerate care improvements for older adults and people with disabilities,” said Bruce Chernof, MD, FACP, President and CEO of The SCAN Foundation. “States that consistently rank at the top have strategically planned for their aging population across the main sectors of health, housing, transportation and family caregiving.”
Big Disparities in Some Long-Term Care Categories
AARP found some gigantic disparities among the states in certain categories of long-term care support and services. Take the portion of Medicaid and state funding on home- and community-based services, which has been growing overall. However, the Scorecard report said it will take 51 years for the average of the bottom five states to reach the level of the average of the top five states in this area.
Long-Term Care Affordability Hasn’t Budged
Most states showed no change in the Affordability and Access category. Nursing homes often cost more than $90,000 a year and a home-health aide can run over $30,000 annually. And the average need for long-term care is two years at a cost of $138,000 in today’s dollars. One in seven will need the care for five years or longer; their tab will exceed $250,000.
“The cost of long-term services and supports over time continues to be much higher than what middle-income families can afford,” AARP reported.
To view the full report, click here.
For more information on home care services in Olympia, contact FirstLight of South Sound today.
Home Care Services
Home Care Jobs