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A pdf version of this newsletter can be found at http://www.pascenter.org/newsletter/CenterforPASBulletinJul06.pdf

Previous newsletters can be found at http://www.pascenter.org/newsletter/index.php

Center for Personal Assistance Services Bulletin

July 2006 - Volume 3, Issue 3

In this issue:

• New SAVE THE DATE - Center for PAS State of the Science Conference
• On the Center for PAS website
• Research articles and reports
• Center study findings reported in the Wall Street Journal
• New York legislation on consumer directed PAS
• Senate Hearing on Planning for Long- Term Care Includes Testimony on Need for Caregivers
• Participatory Intervention Program for Homecare Workers
• Danish research group examining working environment problems in home health care
• Center for PAS seeks nominations of promising practices in provision of workplace PAS
• Award-winning documentary film on family based home care available
• Conference spotlight
• SELECTED CONFERENCES DURING July, August, and September 2006

New SAVE THE DATE - Center for Personal Assistance Services State of the Science Conference

The Center for Personal Assistance Services will host its State of the Science Conference, entitled "Meeting the Nation's Need for Personal Assistance Services: State of the Science" on April 27, 2007 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A CHANGE FROM THE PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED DATE. More information will be available soon on the PAS Center website.

For the PAS Center website, go to http://www.pascenter.org

On the Center for PAS website

New resources are available on the Center for PAS website (http://www.pascenter.org)

• Promising Practices report on the Medicaid State Plan Personal Care in New Mexico.
  To retrieve the report, go to

  http://www.pascenter.org/home_and_community/new_mexico_abstract.php

• State by state data on Home and Community-Based Services: Federal Funding to States.
  To retrieve data on these topics by state, go to

  http://www.pascenter.org/state_based_stats/federal_funding_to_states.php?title=Federal+HCBS+Funding

• State by state data on Home and Community-Based Services: State Only Funded HCBS
  To retrieve data on these topics by state, go to:

  http://www.pascenter.org/state_based_stats/state_only_funded.php?title=State+Only+Fund ed+HCBS

• On-line video "A day in the life of Richard", showing daily activities of Richard including his assistive technology and his personal assistance services.
  To access the video, go to

  http://www.pascenter.org/pas_users/index.php and choose "A day in the life of Richard"

Research articles and reports

The following papers, authored by Center staff, have been recently published:

• Strengthening home and community-based care through Medicaid waivers.

  States are increasingly using the Medicaid 1915c waiver program to provide community-based long-term care (LTC). This paper examined state predictors of waiver utilization and expenditures for waivers serving both older and working-age individuals.

  Reference: Miller, N.A., Rubin, A., Elder, K.T., Kitchener, M., and Harrington, C. (2006). Strengthening Home and Community Based Care Through Medicaid Waivers. J. of Aging & Social Policy. 18 (1): 1-16.

  For more information, go to http://www.pascenter.org/publications/publication_home.php?id=445

• Residential care provision in Medicaid home- and community-based waivers: A national study of program trends

  This study describes participation and expenditure trends for residential care services funded by Medicaid waivers and examines variation across programs.

  Reference: Kitchener, M., Hernandez, M., Ng, T., and Harrington, C. (2006) Residential Care Provision in Medicaid Home and Community Based Waivers: A National Study of Program Trends. The Gerontologist. 46 (2):165-172.

  To retrieve this paper electronically, go to http://gerontologist.gerontologyjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/46/2/165

  The following are selected reports and research published in field that are of relevance to personal assistance services.

• Paper examines the impact of PAS and AT on informal care hours

  In the September 2005 issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, researchers Agree et al published an article analyzing data about people with disabilities by using the 1994-1995 National Health Interview Survey Disability Supplement. The article focused on the role of assistive technology with a disabled person's usage of informal and formal personal assistance services. The findings from the research indicated that the use of assistive technology was associated with disabled people using less hours of informal care. The authors suggested that having both formal personal assistance services and assistive technology could reduce the amount of informal care used.

  For more information, go to http://www.pascenter.org/publications/publication_home.php?id=413

• Latest Trends in Medicaid Participants and Expenditures

  The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured has published a new report summarizing the latest enrollment and expenditure trends in the Medicaid program in 2004.

  Reference: Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, (2006) Report: Understanding the Recent Changes in Medicaid Spending and Enrollment Growth Between 2000-2004. Kaiser Family Foundation: Washington, DC. For more information, go to http://www.kff.org/medicaid/kcmu053006pkg.cfm

• New Data on Long Term Care for the Elderly

  The Kaiser Family Foundation has published new data on state activity as of January 2006 in developing new models of communitybased long term care for elderly Medicaid beneficiaries. Details about the various program types offered and the program's implementation status are available for all states and the nation.

  For more information, go to http://www.statehealthfacts.org/cgi-bin/healthfacts.cgi?action=compare&category=Medicaid+%26+SCHIP&subcategory=Home+and+Community-Based+Services&topic=Individual+Budget-Based+Models+of+LTC

• Background reports and fact sheets on the Deficit Reduction Act

  The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured has published a series of new reports and fact sheets summarizing the impact that the 2006 Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) will have on long-term care when implemented.

  Reference: Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, (2006) Report: Reports Explore Long-Term Care Issues Included in the Deficit Reduction Act. Kaiser Family Foundation: Washington, DC.

  For more information, go to http://www.kff.org/medicaid/kcmu041706pkg.cfm

• Report on fourth quarter 2005 activities of MIGs released

  Highlights from the activities reported by the Medicaid Infrastructure Grants (MIG) from their summary reports to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) has been released by the Center for Workers with Disabilities. The report looks at five areas of Medicaid Buy-In progress including the legislation regarding the Medicaid Buy-In, outreach and collaboration activities among agencies and stakeholders, dissemination, and personal assistance services.

  For more information, go to http://www.aphsa.org/disabilities/home/docs/MIG%20Activities%204th%20quarter%202005%20report.pdf

• Assessment of National and State Programs for Caregiver Services

  Existing caregiver support services and services that are still needed at the national and state levels are the focus of a new report entitled Caregiving: A National Profile and Assessment of Caregiver Services and Needs from the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving. Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers used data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and caregiver interviews to create national and state profiles of caregiver support programs, usage and unmet needs, and caregiving prevalence.

  For more information, go to http://www.rci.gsw.edu/pdfs/Caregiver_Report.pdf

• Two new books related to PAS published

  Two books have been released recently covering issues that are fundamental to personal assistance services. The first is entitled "Consumer Voice and Choice in Long-Term Care." Edited by Suzanne Kunkel, Ph.D., and Valerie Wellin, this book is a compilation of authors' works on consumer input and decision-making regarding quality and satisfaction of their services.

  For more information, go to http://www.springerpub.com/prod.aspx?prod_id=02107

  The second book, written by Mary K. Zimmerman, Jacquelyn S. Litt, and Christine E. Bose, examines why women are such prominent workers in the global marketplace and why so many perform jobs that involve carework.

  For more information, go to http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?book_id=53235324

• Papers on PAS workforce in Europe published

  Two new papers covering cash for care in Europe have been recently published. The papers emphasize advantages of these programs like independence and consumer direction. Abstracts for both papers are in the Center for Personal Assistance Services Library. More than 40 new papers on mostly international workforce issues have been recently entered in the library.

  Reference: Timonen, V., Convery, J. & Cahill, S. (2006). Care revolutions in the making? A comparison for cash-for-care programmes in four European countries. Ageing & Society, 26, 3, 455-474.

  To retrieve this article, go to http://www.pascenter.org/publications/publication_home.php?id=425

  Reference: Ungerson, C. (2004). Whose empowerment and independence? A crossnational perspective on ‘cash for care’ schemes. Ageing & Society, 24, 2, 189-212.

  To retrieve this article, go to http://www.pascenter.org/publications/publication_home.php?id=426

  To see the list of other articles related to the PAS workforce, go to http://www.pascenter.org/publications/library.php?audience=workforce

Center study findings reported in the Wall Street Journal

Findings from a study authored by researchers on the HCBS project team were cited in the Wall Street Journal on May 6 2006 in an article focusing on home and community based long term care.

For more information, go to http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114687393589945572.html

Reference: Lucette Lagnado (May 6th 2006) Staying Put at 96. The Wall Street Journal

New York legislation on consumer directed PAS

A new bill in the New York Assembly would allow individuals receiving personal assistance services to participate in a program that promotes consumer choice and control in accessing support services. An individual could hire a relative to provide care or use his or her individualized budget to purchase items that would increase independence.

For more information, go to http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=A11650

Senate Hearing on Planning for Long-Term Care Includes Testimony on Need for Caregivers

On May 17, 2006, the Subcommittee on Health for the Senate Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on the challenges of planning for long-term care. Eight professionals in the long-term care field provided testimony, several of which included discussions of the role of family caregivers, the need for caregiver training, and the shortage of direct care workers.

For more information, go to http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/Hearings/05172006hearing1900/hearing.htm

Participatory Intervention Program for Homecare Workers

A new project has started recently between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the University of California-Berkeley, Labor Occupational Health Program (LOHP). The project will develop safety and health educational materials for homecare workers in Alameda County in three languages – English, Spanish, and Cantonese, and field test these materials with home care workers. The goal of this project is to develop and evaluate an intervention to improve the safety and health of homecare workers, using a communitybased participatory research approach. If successful, this approach could serve as a model for community-based interventions for other low wage, immigrant and minority workers and workplaces.

For more information, contact the CDC Project Director Sherry Baron at slb8@cdc.gov or Laura Stock at LOHP at lstock@berkeley.edu

Danish research group examining working environment problems in home health care

The National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH), Denmark has established a research group to look into problems in the working environment in the health care sector with a focus on home health care. The research group had previously conducted interventions in the hospital sector, and home health care represent a rapidly growing area with an expected shortage of labor. At the same time the majority of nurses aides and orderlies (“social and health care helpers and assistants”) are employed in home health care and not in hospitals.

• reduce sickness absence and early retirement, primarily in the less educated job groups in the sector (i.e. nurses aides and orderlies)
• increase job satisfaction, motivation and well-being in these groups

An additional grant was awarded for 2006- 2008, to carry out a number of intervention studies in homecare and nursing homes with the aim of providing practical solutions and evidence based information for the abovementioned municipalities.

For more information, contact the project director, Nils Fallentin, Ph.D. at nf@ami.dk

Center for PAS seeks nominations of promising practices in provision of workplace PAS

The Center for Personal Assistance Services is seeking nominations from private and public organizations for promising practices in the provision of Workplace Personal Assistance Services (WPAS). WPAS includes task-related assistance at work such as sign language interpreters, readers, assistance with work-related travel and may include personal care-related assistance such as helping someone accessing the restroom, eating, or drinking while at work.

If your organization, or an organization you know, has provided WPAS to an employee with a disability, we want to hear about it. We will help share promising practices with other business.

To nominate an organization's promising practice, please go to http://157.182.245.35:8555

Award-winning documentary film on family based home care available

24/7, a documentary film by Mary A.C. Fallon and Daniel Priest, examines the impact of closing institutions for people with developmental disabilities through the stories of two families who provide care for their adult children at home. It also shows the impact of state choices for funding home care. The film, winner of the Best Documentary at the Reno Film Festival, is now available for rental or purchase.

For more information, go to http://www.fanlight.com/catalog/films/438_tfs.php

Conference spotlight

Job Accommodation Network to host annual conference in Boston in September

The Job Accommodation Network (JAN), the nation’s foremost provider of workplace accommodation information and technical assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), will unite experts in job accommodation and disability employment law during JAN’s Fifth Annual Conference, Empowering Employers to Build an Inclusive Workforce, September 18-19, 2006, at the Hilton Boston Logan Airport. The Center for PAS will be presenting its promising practices in workplace PAS at the conference.

For more information, go to http://conference.jan.wvu.edu

Carework Network

The steering committee of the Carework Network invites interested parties to a networking reception to be held during the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in Montreal, Canada in August 2006. The meeting will be Sunday, August 13th from 6:30-8:15pm at Delta Centre-Ville Hotel (check the ASA program for room information). This will be a chance to meet other scholars, activists and policy makers interested in carework issues. There will be tables set up to display recently published books, working papers and/or information about carework organizations. Please contact Clare Stacey (clare.stacey@ucsf.edu) if you have questions about the reception or if you would like to reserve a table.

Also, mark your calendars for the next Carework Conference, to be held in New York City in August of 2007. The conference is tentatively scheduled for Friday, August 10, 2007 on the eve of the annual meetings of the American Sociological Association. If you live in or around New York City and you are interested in working with the conference planning committee, please get in touch with Teresa Scherzer at teresa.scherzer@ucsf.edu. Look for further updates in subsequent newsletters.

SELECTED CONFERENCES during July, August and September 2006

July

August

September

The Center for Personal Assistance Services provides research, training, dissemination and technical assistance on issues of personal assistance services (PAS) in the United States. Personal assistance services (PAS) refer to help provided to people with disabilities to assist them with tasks essential for daily living. These tasks include bathing, dressing, getting around, toileting, eating, shopping, remembering things, and other activities. PAS, along with assistive technology such as wheelchairs, text readers, and hearing aides, help people with disabilities to participate in activities at home, at work, and in the community.

The purpose of this newsletter is to provide the latest news on issues relating to formal and informal PAS, home & community- based services, the PAS workforce, and workplace PAS within and outside of the Center.

Detail about the Center staff and advisors can be found at http://www.pascenter.org/about/