FY 2021 Annual Performance Plan and Report - Goal 3 Objective 4

Topics on this page: Goal 3. Objective 4 | Objective 3.4 Table of Related Performance Measures

Goal 3. Objective 4: Maximize the independence, well-being, and health of older adults, people with disabilities, and their families and caregivers

Older adults and people with disabilities face a complex set of difficulties. About 1 in every 7, or 14.9 percent, of the population is an older American. Approximately 12 percent of working-age adults in the United States have some type of disability. Of these adults, 51 percent had a mobility disability, and 38.3 percent had a cognitive disability.

To support older adults, people with disabilities, and the system of friends, family, and community members that support them, the Department collaborates across the Federal Government and, with states, tribes, territories , and faith-based and community organizations. Aging and Disability Resource Centers provide a gateway to a broad range of services and supports for older adults and people with disabilities. Centers for Independent Living are community-based centers that offer services to empower and enable people with disabilities to stay in their communities. Every state and territory has an Assistive Technology Act program that can help people find, try, and obtain assistive technology devices and services. Assistive technology includes resources ranging from "low tech" helping tools—like utensils with big handles—to higher-tech solutions like talking computers.

The Office of the Secretary leads this objective. The following divisions are responsible for implementing programs under this strategic objective: ACF, ACL, CDC, CMS, HRSA, IHS, OASH, and SAMHSA. In consultation with OMB, HHS has determined that performance toward this objective is progressing. The narrative below provides a brief summary of progress made and achievements or challenges, as well as plans to improve or maintain performance.

Objective 3.4 Table of Related Performance Measures

Demonstrate improvement in nursing home health care quality by reducing the number of one-star nursing homes (Lead Agency - CMS; Measure ID - QIO7.2)

Demonstrate improvement in nursing home health care quality by reducing the number of one-star nursing homes (Lead Agency - CMS; Measure ID - QIO7.3) ³⁹

To protect more than 3 million nursing home residents, CMS provides strategies to guide local, state, and national efforts to improve the quality of care in nursing homes. In December 2008, CMS added a star rating system to the Nursing Home Compare website to track nursing home quality. This rating system serves three purposes: 1) to provide residents and their families with an assessment of nursing home quality, 2) to distinguish between high and low performing nursing homes, and 3) to provide incentives for nursing homes to improve their performance. The one-star rating is the lowest rating and the five star rating is the highest.

In April 2019, CMS made improvements to each of the rating system domains under the Five Star Quality Rating System. These revisions are part of an ongoing effort to improve information available to the public and drive quality improvement amongst nursing homes. Due to the change in the methodology of how data is collected for the quality component of the Five Star Quality Rating System, the current reporting methodology is no longer valid and a new measure, baseline and future targets are expected to be developed for this goal Spring 2020.

CMS included new Quality Measure (QM) rating thresholds which increase every six months in the new ratings methodology. CMS provides the new QM weights, scoring, and changes to certain measures in the Quality, Safety and Oversight Group Memo QSO-19-08-NH and the Nursing Home Compare Five-Star Quality Rating System: Technical User's Guide.

Decrease the percentage of long-stay nursing home residents receiving an antipsychotic medication (Lead Agency - CMS; Measure ID - MSC5)

Antipsychotic medications have common and dangerous side effects when used for the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. National scientists and thought leaders have review a number of evidence-based non-pharmacological interventions and approaches have been reviewed through the National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care. The Advancing Excellence website (in the public domain) at www.nhqualitycampaign.org posts clinical practice guidelines and various tools and resources. State coalitions are reaching out to providers in every state and encouraging the use of these resources, as well as Hand in Hand, which is a CMS-developed training program for nursing home staff.

Success varies by state and CMS region, with some states and regions seeing a reduction of greater than 40 percent. CMS continues to have quarterly national calls with the public on aspects of good dementia care and the use of non-pharmacological approaches. CMS is conducting focused dementia care surveys on those facilities that continue to have high rates of antipsychotic use, and has modified the regulations limiting the use of antipsychotic medications on an as needed basis.

Improve dementia capability of long-term support systems to create dementia-friendly, livable communities (Lead Agency ACL; Measure ID – ALZ.3) ^{40, 41}

Of the community dwelling individuals living with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD), approximately one-third live alone, exposing them to numerous risks, which include unmet needs, malnutrition and injury, and various forms of neglect and exploitation.⁴² With the number of people living with ADRD in the United States projected to grow by almost 300 percent by 2050 ⁴³, it is important to develop effective and coordinated service delivery and health care systems that are responsive to the needs of these individuals and their caregivers.

ACL's Alzheimer's Disease Program provides funding for the development and enhancement of dementia-capable, person-centered systems of services and supports through partnerships with public and private entities. In 2017, ACL developed a new tool to measure the program's success at improving the dementia capability of long-term services and support systems. Through the tool, program grantees and their partners assess organizational activities in the following three areas:

• Identification of people with possible cognitive impairment or dementia and their primary caregiver;
• Staff training about cognitive impairment, dementia and dementia care, and
• Provision of specialized services for people with a cognitive impairment or dementia and their caregivers.

ACL ensures the quality of the assessment results through frequent contact with grantees, clear guidance for grantees regarding their grant activities and reporting expectations, and timely review of grantee performance data. If grantees appear to be underperforming based on the data provided, grant officers provide technical assistance.

Increase the success rate of the Protection and Advocacy Program's individual or systemic advocacy, thereby advancing individuals with developmental disabilities right to receive appropriate community based services, resulting in community integration and independence, and have other rights enforced, retained, restored and/or expanded (Lead Agency ACL; Measure ID – 8F) ⁴⁴

Under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and the Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (DD Act), each state and territory has a Developmental Disabilities Protection and Advocacy (P&A) program designated by the state's governor. The DD Act and other authorizing statutes give the P&A the authority to advocate for the rights of individuals with disabilities. The DD Act states that each P&A has the authority to "pursue legal, administrative, and other appropriate remedies or approaches to ensure the protection of, and advocacy for, the rights of such individuals within the State." ⁴⁵ P&As provide a range of legal services and use a range of remedies, including self-advocacy assistance, negotiation, investigation, and litigation, to advocate for traditionally unserved or underserved individuals with developmental disabilities. P&A authorities are critical to preventing abuse and neglect of people with disabilities and safeguarding individuals' right to live with dignity and self-determination.

In FY 2019, grant officers worked with ACL's Office of Performance and Evaluation to develop or improve logic models and performance measures for this program. ACL staff are working on developing standard methods for analyzing the data to identify trends and results.