Are Older Americans Getting the Long-Term Services and Supports They Need?
The recent change allowing private Medicare Advantage plans to offer long-term services and supports, such as in-home assistance with toileting, bathing, and other activities of daily living, is an important step in meeting the nonmedical needs of older adults. But there's a big problem: two-thirds of beneficiaries are in traditional Medicare, which doesn't cover such services.
In a new Commonwealth Fund report, Amber Willink and colleagues at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health look at the needs of Medicare beneficiaries 65 and older living in the community and how they manage day to day. The researchers find that, despite widespread use of assistive devices like grab bars and walkers, many older beneficiaries –- particularly those with low income -- lack access to the personal assistance they need to perform activities of daily living. The consequences can include social isolation, falls, avoidable hospitalizations, and premature entry into nursing homes.
Adding coverage of long-term services and supports to traditional Medicare's benefit package, the authors say, could help millions of older adults with functional or cognitive impairment. Doing so would also increase the value of Medicare spending for this population.
Senior man receiving long-term support services_1x1 Read more Are Older Americans Getting the Long-Term Services and Supports They Need?