Aging/Older Adults

On April 15, 2024, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) opened applications for the Elder Just Innovation Grant (EJIG). The EGIJ program aims to support the development and advancement of new and emerging issues related to elder justice. Funded programs will contribute to the improvement of the field of elder abuse prevention and intervention. Applications are due June 18, 2024.

The AARP Public Policy Institute created the AARP Nursing Home COVID-19 Dashboard to provide data about the virus’ spread among nursing homes and the impact it has on nursing home residents and staff. The purpose of this dashboard is to address at-risk areas at the national and state levels quickly.

This issue brief from Justice in Aging discusses the deficit in data regarding guardianship in the United States and the problems that has created for reform efforts in the guardianship system. The brief addresses the need for data to understand who is under guardianship, why they are under guardianship, and the risks marginalized older adults face but are not reported. The issue brief includes current data reform efforts recommendations to advance equity in guardianship.

This article from the Administrative Law Commons and the Elder Law Commons reviews the problems in the nursing home industry revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors of the article provide suggestions to improve oversight practices and accountability through existing statutory regulations that will incentivize nursing homes to provide high-quality care. The article discusses how politics, bureaucracy, and ageism have prevented existing statutory authority from being utilized to its potential.

Every May, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) leads the nation’s observance of Older Americans Month (OAM). The 2024 theme is Powered by Connection, which recognizes the profound impact that meaningful relationships and social connections have on our health and well-being. ACL will explore the vital role that connectedness plays in supporting independence and aging in place by combatting isolation, loneliness, and other issues.

In response to older adults representing the fastest growing group of people experiencing homelessness, USAging recently released five homelessness prevention case examples featuring different successful AAA programs and partnerships to support housing stability. Agencies can find inspiration and ideas to evolve their own work and partnerships to provide homelessness prevention assistance and housing-related supports for older adults and people with disabilities.

The Milken Institute's latest report sheds light on a noteworthy demographic shift taking place in the United States. Projections suggest that by 2034, the population of older adults (aged 65 and above) will surpass that of individuals under 18. This shift is anticipated to lead to a significant rise in the older adult population, reaching 80 million by 2040, up from 55.7 million in 2020. Notably, the segment of the population aged 85 and older, requiring increased assistance, is expected to double by 2040. This demographic transformation poses challenges in providing appropriate and affordable housing and care options for older adults...

On January 18, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced that its Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) released a proposed regulation on automatic portability transactions under SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022. The goal of automatic portability transactions is to help workers keep track of their retirement savings accounts and improve retirement security by reducing cash-outs when they change jobs. According to the most recent annual Form 5500 data, there are an estimated 635,000 defined contribution plans in the United States, covering an estimated 86.6 million participants with account balances totaling $9.3 trillion in assets...

Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched a new online resource hub with Medicaid and CHIP Renewal and Transition Resources for Partners. This virtual hub provides key resources in one centralized location so all partners (e.g., states, beneficiary and provider organizations, and advocates among others) can better assist people with Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) renew their health coverage or find other coverage options that may be a better fit for them. This hub contains the following resources: Resources to help others with coverage Outreach materials by population category Key government actions taken to support Medicaid renewals and transitions...

On January 5, KFF released a brief examining the characteristics of nursing facilities and the people living in them between 2015 and 2023. This brief utilizes data from Nursing Home Compare, a publicly available dataset that provides a snapshot of information on quality of care in each nursing facility, and CASPER (Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reports), a dataset that includes detailed metrics collected by surveyors during nursing facility inspections. This analysis is relevant to aging and disability networks as it coincides with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed rule that would create new requirements for staffing levels in nursing facilities.