The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aged has issued a list of five resolutions to the White House Conference on Aging. Its recommendations include: expanding managed care concepts; combining affordable housing with supportive services; embracing a more consumer-focused culture; creating a better transition between care settings; and developing new technologies to improve consumer choice.
AAHSA hopes delegates at this month’s conference in Washington will use these ideas to formulate policies. The conference is held every 10 years and has been instrumental in forming significant policy changes in the past.
Managed care programs, which include Evercare, continuing care retirement communities, hospice and Social HMOs, should grow with specific attention to disease management for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other chronic diseases, according to AAHSA.
The association also suggested combining affordable housing with supportive services. This concept “should be the foundation for an integrated system of aging services in the coming decade,” the association said.
Another resolution called for policy makers to work on creating a seamless transition between various settings. Elderly, they say, often feel lost going from the emergency room to acute-acre and long-term care settings.
