Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Francis G. Caro, PhD and Ellen Birchander, MA, MSW. Gerontology Department, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA 02125-3393, 617 287-7327, frank.caro@umb.edu

Until major reforms in financing long-term care in the United States are achieved, most elders will struggle to finance long-term care. Relatively few will finance their long-term care through private long-term care insurance, medical savings accounts, or a combination. We will examine current access to public financing for various long-term care services using Massachusetts as a case example. Our emphasis will be on less-well known measures for gaining access to public financing such as use of adult foster care as a means of financing assisted living. In addition, we will estimate the extent to which various financing mechanisms are used and estimate their overall impact on long-term care access for elders with limited financial means.

Learning Objectives:

• Elder advocates will refine their skills in assisting elders in finding affordable long-term care strategies
• Policy analysts will identify precedents in use of existing regulations to identify potential changes to existing laws and regulations concerning access to publicly-financed long-term care.

Keywords: Long-Term Care, Home Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No