Findings from University of Minnesota School of Public Health Advance Knowledge in Geriatrics and Gerontology (Actual And Desired Service Use of Community-dwelling Consumers of Home- And Community-based Services): Aging Research – Geriatrics and Gerontology

2023 JAN 11 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Investigators discuss new findings in geriatrics and gerontology. According to news originating from Minneapolis, Minnesota, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Federal and state long-term care policies are focused on helping people age in their community rather than in nursing homes or other institutional settings.”

Our news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from University of Minnesota School of Public Health: “Through home- and community-based (HCBS) waiver programs, states have the flexibility to target specific populations, providing supportive services meant to promote residence in the community. Although consumer needs and goals are a key component of HCBS delivery and effectiveness, little is known about how actual service use differs from the services individuals desire to meet their needs. Using the National Core Indicators-Aging and Disability (NCI-AD™) survey responses from 2018-2019 (N=14,202), an effort by state agencies to measure and track performance outcomes using standardized measures, we examined differences in actual versus desired use of HCBS among people living in the community. Services were categorized as delivered in home-based setting, day services, transportation, support/modification services, health and therapeutic services, and respite. Among NCI-AD respondents in the community (n=9,860), 11% used one service area, 49% used two service areas, and 36% used three or more service areas. The most common service area was home-based services (57%).”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “About a third of community-dwelling respondents desired at least one additional service area. Factors significantly associated with wanting more services included being in combined Medicaid-Medicare, managed LTSS, a woman, an adult aged >65, living alone, and having a physical disability. While the majority of community-dwelling HCBS recipients do not list unmet service needs, there is heterogeneity by program category and other key demographic and social characteristics.”

For more information on this research see: Actual And Desired Service Use of Community-dwelling Consumers of Home- And Community-based Services. Innovation in Aging, 2022,6(Supplement_1). (Innovation in Aging - https://academic.oup.com/innovateage). The publisher for Innovation in Aging is Oxford University Press (OUP).

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igac059.2372.

Our news editors report that more information may be obtained by contacting Taylor Bucy, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Additional authors for this research include John Mulcahy, Eric Jutkowitz, Tetyana Shippee.

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