State Eligibility Rules and Assessment Instruments: Implications for People with Alzheimer’s Disease
The rising number of people with Alzheimer’s disease presents significant challenges for family members, caregivers, advocates, public policy makers and service providers. Faced with budgetary pressures and concerns about access to care and continuity of care, states are developing managed care programs for elderly Medicaid beneficiaries, reviewing eligibility policies and fine tuning assessment tools used to measure need for long term care. This study focuses on the development of assessment tools and eligibility criteria and explores the implications of these developments for people with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. The study examined three areas: Medicaid spending patterns, case studies based on activities in two states and the assessment instruments used in selected states.
| 1997.Mar_.state_.eligibility.rules_.assessment.instruments.implications.alzheimers.pdf | 1.3 MB |
For individuals living with complex, often chronic conditions, and their families, palliative care can provide relief from symptoms, improve satisfaction and outcomes, and help address critical mental and spiritual needs during difficult times. Now more than ever, there is growing recognition of the importance of palliative care services for individuals with serious illness, such as advance care planning, pain and symptom management, care coordination, and team-based, multi-disciplinary support. These services can help patients and families cope with the symptoms and stressors of disease, better anticipate and avoid crises, and reduce unnecessary and/or unwanted care. While this model is grounded in evidence that demonstrates improved quality of life, better outcomes, and reduced cost for patients, only a fraction of individuals who could benefit from palliative care receive it. 
