Department of Aging Announces Health Care Reform Grants to Help Older Adults Understand Health and Long-Term Care Options

HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Department of Aging today announced that the commonwealth will receive $3.75 million in federal Affordable Care Act grants to help older adults, individuals with disabilities and caregivers better understand their health and long-term care options.

"These grants will greatly assist the department in helping people navigate a complex health care system, giving them more control over their own care while lowering health care costs and improving quality," said Secretary of Aging John Michael Hall.    

The funds will be used to help families make better-informed decisions about Medicare and Medicaid benefits, and provide information about community-based services that can help people remain in their homes or with nursing home transition. Important information about support for older people with chronic diseases will also be available.

The grants will focus on four areas to support older adults, individuals with disabilities and family caregivers:

• Medicare Outreach and Assistance in Low Income Programs and Prevention Grants – $1.7 million is being made available for outreach and assistance to Medicare beneficiaries, including coverage for preventive services. The grant will enable the department to continue its nationally known APPRISE program, which offers free health insurance counseling to Medicare enrollees.
• Nursing Home Transition through "Money Follows the Person" Grants – $400,000 will strengthen consumer access to community supports as local agencies will be better able to transition people from nursing homes to community-based care. The department will work with seven Area Agencies on Aging (Blair, Indiana, Cambria, Clearfield, Centre, Mifflin/Juniata and Somerset counties) to expand access to services.
• Evidence-based Care Transition Grants – $400,000 will enable the commonwealth to help older people or those with disabilities to stay in their own homes after a hospital, rehabilitation of skilled nursing facility stay. The department proposes to work with the Delaware County Office of Services for the Aging and the Crozer Keystone Health System to prevent re-hospitalization for a minimum of 235 seniors identified as high risk over two years. These grants will help break the cycle of readmission to a hospital that occurs when people are discharged into the community without the social services and supports that are needed.
• Chronic Disease Self-Management Program – The departments of Aging and Health will implement and expand a $1.25 million grant using the Stanford University Chronic Disease Self-Management Program to empower older residents with chronic disease to maintain and improve their health status. Four Area Agencies on Aging (Allegheny, Berks, Cambria and Philadelphia counties) will lead the program targeted to serve nearly 4,000 people.  

For more information on the Department of Aging, visit www.aging.state.pa.us or call 717-783-1549.  

Media contact: Jane Crawford, 717-783-1549

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Aging