|
Housing
& Services Programs
Click the
links below to jump to:
Assisted
Living | Iowa Able Foundation Loan Program
| CNA Recruitment
& Retention | Performance Outcome Measures
Grant | Seamless Project |
Iowa NAPIS |
Family Caregiver Support |
Legal
Assistance Program | Additional
Resources | DEA Commission Presentation:
Policy Changes in Assisted Living, Elder Group Homes, and Adult
Day Service Programs
Senior
Living Program-
Funded by the Senior Living Trust, the goal of this program improve
upon the current system of long-term care. Follow the link above
for more information on this program.
Assisted
Living and Elder Group Homes
- The Department of Elder Affairs (DEA) no longer possesses statutory
authority for the regulation of assisted living, elder group homes
and adult day service programs due to the Eighty-second General
Assembly passage of House File 909 which transfers full responsibility
for the oversight of assisted living programs, adult day service
programs, and elder group homes from the department of elder affairs
to the department of inspections and appeals effective July 1, 2007.
Back
to Top
Iowa Able Foundation Loan Program-
The Iowa Able Foundation helps Iowans with disabilities, their
families, and older Iowans access adaptive devices / equipment,
and home modifications through its loan programs. The Iowa Able
Foundation offers an alternative financial solution by providing
low interest loans with flexible terms to help individuals increase
their independence. This statewide 501(c)(3) nonprofit program
will loan funds for any item, piece of equipment, product, or
home modification that is used to improve an individual's functional
capabilities, mobility, and quality of life.
Loans for Assistive Technology and Home Modifications-
In an effort to counter the lack of financial resources many individuals
with disabilities and older Iowans face, Iowa Able offers low
interest loans for the purchase of assistive technology and home
modifications.
Assistive technology is defined as any item, piece of equipment
or device that enables an individual to improve individual independence
and quality of life. There must be a demonstrable connection between
the end user's disability and the need for the equipment.
Allowable equipment includes but is not limited to: wheelchairs,
motorized scooters, Braille equipment, voice simulation systems,
scanners, assistive listening devices, telecommunications devices
for the deaf, augmentative communication systems, environmental
control units, computers and adaptive peripherals, building modifications
for accessibility, and motor vehicles and vehicle modifications.
Loans for Telework- The Telework Program
seeks to increase home-based employment and self-employment opportunities
for individuals with disabilities across the State of Iowa. Telework
has proven to be a viable solution for assisting individuals with
disabilities to integrate into the workplace due to its elimination
of transportation barriers and barriers to accessibility.
The purpose of the Telework Program is to assist individuals
to earn an income through the use of the technology or home modifications
purchased with program funds.
Allowable equipment for the Iowa Able Telework Program includes
but is not limited to: the purchase of computer and peripheral
equipment; Internet services; assistive technology hardware, software
and equipment; equipment deemed by the employer as necessary for
telecommuting; equipment deemed by the entrepreneur as necessary
for home-based employment; modifications to home-based work site
to facilitate increased productivity.
For more information or to apply for a loan, please visit the
Iowa Able Foundation web site at http://www.iowaable.org.
Back to Top
Certified
Nursing Assistant (CNA) Recruitment & Retention-
CNA's provide much of the direct care to residents in nursing
homes and other long-term care settings. The Department of Elder
Affairs has contracted with the Iowa CareGivers Association to
develop strategies to recruit and retain CNA's in nursing facilities
and other health care settings as a means of reducing staff turnover.
Funds from the grant are being used to implement a mentor program
through several community colleges, produce a recruitment video
explaining the job of certified nurse aides, and support other
initiatives to heighten awareness of the important role of certified
nursing aides. In 2001, DEA and the Office of the Long-Term Care
Ombudsman co-sponsored a Study
on CNA Wages & Benefits [PDF Format- off-site link].
Back
to Top
Performance
Outcome Measures Grant- DEA
and the Hawkeye Valley Area Agency on Aging collaborate on this
project, funded by the Administration on Aging. The goal of this
initiative is to develop survey tools, field test these surveys
and evaluate performance outcome measures of selected services
offered through the aging network to Iowa's elderly population.
This grant will enable DEA and Hawkeye Valley AAA to continue
present field testing of survey tools in Caregiving, Case Management,
Home Delivered Meals, Physical Functioning, Transportation, and
Barriers to Service and Capacity Building, and carry on data collection,
base line development, and evaluate how community services used
benefited Iowa's frail elders.
Back
to Top
Seamless
Project-
DEA administers the $1.5 million Seamless Project, developed in
collaboration with Senator Tom Harkin and his staff. The project
seeks to begin the planning process to streamline Iowa's home
and community based long-term care delivery infrastructure to
better meet the needs of Iowa's seniors. DEA will collaborate
with the Iowa Department of Human Services, the Iowa Department
of Public Health, the Iowa Information Technology Department,
the Area Agencies on Aging, the Iowa Research Council, and the
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) on this project.
Currently,
funding for elderly services comes from as many as 17 sources.
Older Iowans are left to complete separate applications to these
sources, each of which has different eligibility requirements.
Conversely, intake personnel in each agency spend valuable time
and resources inputting data in an effort that is duplicated by
other agencies. This translates into lost time and resources,
which could be better used to provide services to elderly clients.
The Seamless Project attempts to correct these inefficiencies
by streamlining systems, to the benefit of consumers of services,
caregivers, providers, the Area Agencies on Aging, and the State
of Iowa.
The proposed system will include clear access points for frail
seniors and their caregivers, accessibility to the right services
at the right time, and efficiency in the delivery of services
for seniors, professional caregivers, and for those who pay the
cost of services. It is proposed that the total project will cover
a three-year period (years 2 & 3 would be funded at $1.5 million
each as well, but it should be noted that funding is not guaranteed).
Year one, currently underway, will focus on assessing existing
systems and will implement a new streamlined approach to the Case
Management Program for the Frail Elderly (CMPFE). CMPFE will serve
as the model for the transformation of the state's service delivery
infrastructure. Year two focuses on implementation and streamlining
of additional services, and training and receiving input from
those services. In year three, additional training will be provided
and the system will be evaluated.
Back
to Top
INAPIS
Title III Client Service Unit Report - INAPIS (National Aging
Program Information System) Service Unit Report collects and reports
service/performance data and related program management information
to the federal and state government. This report shows the number
of older Iowans who receive services and the number of units by
service category from Title III funding of the Older Americans
Act, the Administration on Aging (AoA) and limited state general
fund dollars. Additionally, it shows the number of persons served
by individual services and total "unduplicated" client
count across all services. In other words, if you add the total
number of clients from all services it is higher than the actual
number of persons served across all services, because some people
need and receive more than one service. (Please note: this is
preliminary data, and may be subject to change.)
INAPIS Fact Sheets - INAPIS data is reported to
DEA from AAAs and the Fact Sheets below represent information
about consumers and services provided by AAAs. Information on these Fact Sheets comes from the
INAPIS Activity Report specific to each State Fiscal Year.
Back
to Top
Family
Caregiver Support Program (Title III-E) - The Administration
on Aging (AoA) has determined that for Title III-E, the actual
family caregiver is the client, not the older person receiving
the services. Iowa NAPIS (National Aging Program Information System)
collects and reports Title III-E service/performance data and
related program management information to the federal and state
government in a format like the other Title III services. The
major shift in reporting relates to who is the client. As a result,
this Title III-E Client/Service Unit Report shows the number of
caregivers who receive services and the number of units by service
category from the Title III-E funding of the Older Americans Act,
the AoA, and limited state general fund dollars. Additionally,
it shows the number of persons served by individual services and
total "unduplicated" client count across all services. In other
words, if you add the total number of clients (caregivers) from
all services, it is higher than the actual number of persons served
across all services because some people need and receive more
than one service. (Please note: this is preliminary data, and
may be subject to change.)
Back
to Top
Legal Assistance Program - The SFY
legal assistance activity report that follows is based on data
compiled from the Legal Assistance Program quarterly reports submitted
to the Department by Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) and their legal
providers.
Back
to Top
Elder
Affairs Commission Presentation
Department
of Elder Affairs staff presented, "Policy Changes in Assisted
Living, Elder Group Homes, and Adult Day Service Programs,"
to the DEA Commission on November 13, 2006. Please view this presentation
for more information.
Back
to Top
For
additional resources on Housing & Services programs, consult
the Housing Resources
for Seniors section on our Related Links page.
|
