HCBS (home and community-based services) Mean For LTC

With the federal government considering an investment in the country’s infrastructure, a new light has been shed on the importance of infrastructure. And from the resulting discussion, a broader understanding of what is vital infrastructure is emerging. That infrastructure necessarily includes a system of long-term care for the nation’s aging population and a trained workforce to deliver that care.

“We have an outdated, crumbling infrastructure in nursing homes. We have non-existent infrastructure in home and community-based services (HCBS). And we have millions of older adults living longer, many of whom will need services and supports,” said Bob Kramer, Founder and Fellow for Nexus Insights, and Co-Founder and Strategic Advisor for the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC).

Kramer recently interviewed long-term care expert Anne Tumlinson about the importance of long-term care and changes needed in how it’s delivered and how it’s paid for. Tumlinson, the Founder and CEO of ATI Advisory, and Founder of daughterhood.org, offered recommendations for the policy changes needed to make long-term care financially viable for more seniors and their families. Her recommendations also addressed the critical need for a living wage for the shrinking pool of caregivers who work in long-term care, and the important role of HCBS in helping seniors thrive.

“We don’t have a system; instead, every single family has to create their own system, over and over again. What is out there that could help me? How do I find it, set it up, coordinate it? There is currently no system or function in our society to handle that,“ said Tumlinson.

The interview was hosted by Senior Living Foresight. View the entire discussion.

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