|
WHCOA Recommendations Make Direct-Care Workers a Priority
January 20, 2006
The top 10 resolutions agreed on by delegates to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging include three involving direct-care workers in long-term care. The conference, which takes place about every ten years, is a highly anticipated event among professionals in the field of aging. Delegates are charged with identifying policies and priorities for the next decade, and important programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, grew out of the recommendations of past conferences. The 2005 group's top 50 resolutions, along with strategies for implementation, will be presented to the President and Congress this June.
The delegates' focus this year on long-term care in general, and the direct-care workforce in particular, was not anticipated by most observers, who expected more of an emphasis on issues such as the Medicare drug benefit and Social Security. Delegates represented people who work in all aspects of aging policy, research, advocacy, and services, notes Carol Rodat, a member of the New York State delegation, yet ''there was unanimity among all these different people that quality long-term care was a priority and that you couldn't have that without a stable and qualified direct-care workforce.'' Rodat is the New York Policy Director for the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute.
The delegates' top 10 recommendations are:
1. Reauthorize the Older Americans Act within the first six months after the conference.
2. Develop a coordinated, comprehensive long-term care strategy by supporting public- and private-sector initiatives that address financing, choice, quality, service delivery, and the paid and unpaid workforce.
3. Ensure that older Americans have transportation options to retain their mobility and independence.
4. Strengthen and improve the Medicaid program for seniors.
5. Strengthen and improve the Medicare program.
6. Support geriatric education and training for all healthcare professionals, paraprofessionals, health profession students, and direct care workers.
7. Promote innovative models of noninstitutional long-term care.
8. Improve recognition, assessment, and treatment of mental illness and depression among older Americans.
9. Attain adequate numbers of health care personnel in all professions who are skilled, culturally competent, and specialized in geriatrics.
10. Improve state and local integrated delivery systems to meet the 21st century needs of seniors.
For details, visit www.whcoa.gov
Elise Nakhnikian, Communications Specialist
Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute
< back to news |
