Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius announced that $12.5 million in awards funded by the Affordable Care Act and the Older Americans Act will be made to local Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) to help older Americans and people with disabilities stay independent and receive long-term services and supports in their own homes.
Seniors, people with disabilities and their families can get assistance from these local resource centers
“These grants, funded by the Affordable Care Act and the Older Americans Act, support counselors who help individuals and their caregivers identify and access long-term services and supports, regardless of income or financial assets,” HHS said in a news release issued September 11, 2012.
“Whether someone is in the hospital and ready to be discharged, or living at home but needing additional care, an options counselor can help them evaluate their needs and sift through the options available in their community to create a plan that meets their needs,” Secretary Sebelius said in the news release.
According to the HHS release, “ADRCs [Aging and Disability Resource Centers] are ‘one-stop shops’ for older adults, people with disabilities, their caregivers and families to get the information and services they need as their health and long-term care needs change.”
These local resource centers “offer a single, coordinated system of information and access for people seeking long-term services and supports and help consumers and their families identify options that best suit their needs,” HHS explained.
Currently, all 50 states and four territories have or are in the process of implementing Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs).
More information about the Aging and Disability Resource Center Program is available from the HHS Administration on Community Living.
To find an Aging and Disability Resource Center near you, a Local ADRC Locator is available on a non-profit website called the Aging & Disability Resource Center Technical Assistance Exchange. The locator tool provides a map, where you can click on your State and County to find an Aging and Disability Resource Center near you.
Aging and Disability Resource Centers are funded and operated by the Administration on Community Living and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), both agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Veterans Health Administration, in collaboration with the States.
According to the HHS announcement, the new grants to Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRS’s) include two different types: “Part A” grants are “for states or territories receiving an initial ADRC grant for an Enhanced ADRC Options Counseling Program.” “Part B” grants are “for states and territories receiving continuation funding.”
A list of the States receiving the awards is found on the website of the Administration on Community Living. For further information about the grants, recipients and the ADRC initiative, see http://www.hhs.gov/acl/category/newsroom/announcements/
More Information
For more information on supports for independent Community Living provided under the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act, see:
- Report: Affordable Care Act Supports Community Living
- Blog: The Affordable Care Act and Community Living
- Learn more about the new Administration for Community Living
Learn more about how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, President Obama’s signature health care law, helps Seniors and People with Disabilities.
Read more about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at HealthCare.gov.
Find out what is changing and when under the law.
To find resources for long-term care and support in your area, see the search tools provided by Eldercare Locator.
And, see CareHelpFinder™, the HelpingYouCare® senior-care resource locator tools.
For more news and information about the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act, President Obama’s signature Health Care Law, and about health care reform, see the HelpingYouCare® resource pages on VoicesForCare™, including:
- News on Health Care Reform;
- Editorials: What Needs Improvement, With Your Comments;
- Advocacy: Proposals for Reform, With Your Comments;
- Legislation: Pending & Recently Adopted; and
- International Health Care Compare: Information on Health Care & Long-Term Care Solutions in Other Countries.
_____________
Copyright © 2012 Care-Help LLC, publisher of HelpingYouCare®. All rights reserved.
NOTICE: If you are reading this article on any website other than HelpingYouCare.com, please click HERE to go to the original article. No website other than HelpingYouCare® has been given permission to publish this article.
Recent Comments from our Online Community