Georgia seniors enter nursing homes later in life thanks to nutritional wellness program

Results from a study on the impact of a Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Aging Services (DAS) nutritional wellness program reveals older Georgians are staying in their own homes longer before having to enter a nursing home.

Since state fiscal year 2007, nursing home placements for older adults involved in DAS nutrition programs have been increasingly delayed. In state fiscal year 2008, for example, older adults avoided nursing home placement an average of three years longer than older adults not involved in the program.

“What this really means is that good nutrition is a major factor in keeping older Georgians healthy and more independent,” said Maria Greene, director of DAS. “Our nutrition programs provide healthy meals to thousands of seniors across the state. Since there is a direct link between poor nutrition and chronic health problems, providing older adults access to fresh produce and healthy foods can seriously improve their quality of life.”

The results of the study are part of the Performance Outcomes Measurement Project (POMP), a federal initiative that measures the effectiveness of Title III services, including nutrition programs, for older Americans. The study measured the level of “food insecurity” experienced by participating older Georgians. Food insecurity refers to the limited or uncertain availability of safe, nutritious foods.

The POMP study found that 11.5% of participants in Georgia were experiencing food insecurity. The Division of Aging Services provides a variety of services to older adults to address this issue, including nutrition screening, prepared meals, nutrition education and a Farmer’s Market program that makes fresh, locally grown produce available to seniors.

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Georgia DHR observes World Elder Abuse Awareness Day June 15

The Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR) Division of Aging Services (DAS) encourages Georgians to wear purple on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15. People worldwide will be wearing purple to show that elder abuse is a global problem. The annual observation recognizes, honors and raises awareness of disabled adults and persons 65 and older who suffer in silence because of abuse, neglect or exploitation. DHR considers elder abuse to be both a public health threat and a human rights issue, and seeks to increase awareness around the issue.

“On this day, we want to take a moment to recognize the abuse our most vulnerable and at-risk adult population sometimes experiences,” said Maria Greene, director of the Division of Aging Services (DAS). “Elder abuse is a crime in Georgia and often goes unreported. Therefore, we encourage everyone to know the signs of abuse and call Adult Protective Service if they become concerned.”

Georgia law defines elder abuse as the willful infliction of physical pain, physical injury, mental anguish, unreasonable confinement or willful deprivation of essential services. Studies have shown that for every one case of elder abuse reported, there are an estimated 14 incidences that go undetected. Abuse takes many forms, including physical, emotional, sexual, financial exploitation, neglect and self-neglect. Adult children are most often the perpetrators of abuse in all its forms. Spousal abuse can start early and continue into later life. Any older person can be abused regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnicity or geographic location.

Mandated reporters of elder abuse in Georgia includes physicians, osteopaths, podiatrists, clergy (in long-term care settings), psychologists, managers, administrators, dentists, optometrists, coroners, pharmacists, orderlies, nurses, nurse’s aides, medical examiners, chiropractors, social workers, police officers and law enforcement personnel, physical therapists, employees of financial institutions, licensed professional counselors and adult day care personnel.

Make the call if you believe that an elder is being abused, neglected or exploited. If the person lives in his or her own home or with a relative, call Adult Protective Services (APS) to make a report at (404) 657-5250 (inside Metro Atlanta) or toll-free at (888) 774-0152. If the person lives in a nursing home or personal care home, contact the Office of Regulatory Services (ORS) at (404) 657-5726 (inside Metro Atlanta) or toll-free at (800) 878-6442. You may also contact the State Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman, an advocate for residents’ rights, at (888) 454-LTCO (5826).

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HHS Announces $36 Million to Help Older Americans and Veterans Remain Independent

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced
$36 million in new grant programs to 28 states to help older Americans
and veterans remain independent and to support people with Alzheimer's
disease to remain in their homes and communities. Just over $19 million
of this funding involves a new collaboration with the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA).

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt and VA Secretary James Peake, M.D., announced
the joint effort to provide essential consumer-directed home and
community-based services to older Americans and veterans of all ages, as
part of a Nursing Home Diversion (NHD) grants program. The new
initiative builds on the similar missions of HHS and the VA with regard
to caring for the populations they serve. In addition, Secretary
Leavitt announced a $17 million investment to improve the delivery of
home and community-based services to people with Alzheimer's disease and
their family caregivers.

In announcing the collaboration, Secretary Leavitt said, "This historic
HHS-VA initiative combines the expertise of the HHS' national network of
aging services providers with the resources of the Veterans Health
Administration to provide more people, including our nation's veterans,
with improved long-term care options. This unique effort supports the
President's New Freedom Initiative which calls upon all federal agencies
to help people who need long-term care and prefer to live in their own
homes and communities to do so. Through this joint program, many people
who would have previously been placed in nursing homes will be able to
remain at home."

"Our mission is to honor and support America's veterans, and this
collaboration provides an additional opportunity to do that by offering
more services, choices and control over decisions to veterans in the
least restrictive environment consistent with their needs and
preferences," Secretary Peake said.

The new program will be administered by HHS' Administration on Aging
(AoA) in collaboration with the Veterans Health Administration. Under
the program, $10.5 million is being provided by HHS through AoA, and
$5.7 million by the states. VA estimates purchasing at least $3 million
in veteran-directed home and community-based services for older veterans
and for recently returned veterans with long-term care needs. The
number of veterans over age 85 has tripled during the past decade,
creating a significant expansion in the need for long term care.

"The HHS funding is specifically designed to reach people who are not
eligible for Medicaid, but who are at high risk of nursing home
placement and spend-down to Medicaid -which often occurs when private
pay individuals enter a nursing home," said Assistant Secretary for
Aging Josefina G. Carbonell. "The program will also offer consumers
more control over their long-term care, including the ability to
determine the types of services they receive and the manner in which
they receive them, including the option of hiring their own care
workers."

The $17 million for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and their
caregivers involves grants to 22 states under AoA's Alzheimer's disease
demonstration programs. States were able to apply for two types of
grants: Innovation Grants and Evidence-Based Program Grants. Innovation
Grants will demonstrate new approaches to delivering services and
supports, and the Evidence-Based Grants will support the replication of
science-based interventions that have already proven to be effective at
helping people with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders to
continue to live in the community.

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