A group of more than 30 senior service experts outlined a number of solutions for improving the nation’s long-term care infrastructure supporting older adults. The action plan laid out by Convergence, a nonprofit that brings together diverse views to address national problems, calls for increasing the number of caregivers and care settings, in addition to improving funding for a robust care system.
“Everyone deserves to age with security and dignity, but our current systems of care are woefully inadequate to meet the contemporary realities of this stage of life,” Convergence CEO David Eisner said. “With these recommendations, leaders have created an actionable path toward realizing a system of care that works for older adults in America.”
The report recommends establishing a broad assortment of financially sound and adaptable care settings that reflect the needs of different senior populations.
To help older adults age in place, the team urged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to support programs, such as Community Aging in Place–Advancing Better Living for Elders. CAPABLE allows seniors to remain in their home, while providing support from clinicians and home improvement specialists who ensure a safe living environment. The experts also called for support of different care settings, such Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), which allows seniors to age in place, while receiving medical care and social support in a facility.
Convergence recommended increasing the number of paid caregivers through additional training and professional advancement. The team called on the Departments of Labor and CMS to identify a minimum of core competency standards across care settings and allow caregivers to receive one license to work across multiple care settings.
The study also called on Congress to enact an intergenerational self-funded catastrophic public insurance program that would limit out-of-pocket costs for long-term care and make long-term care insurance more available through additions to life insurance and supplemental Medicare insurance (Medigap) plans.
As the nation’s 72 million baby boomers age into retirement, there are growing calls for a realignment of the system that supports older adults.
