Agenda - 03-19-1985 - Laserfiche WebLink

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-T T— AML IOW 7. Future Direction - Home Care The need. for In Home Care services to all older adults will increase in coming years .ue- to s otter nosp to stays , increases in Medicare uctibles , increases in doctors ' fees , implementation of a community based long term care plan, and growing numbers of aging persons living in their homes . Supportive services in the home are presently provided. in Orange County by a variety of public and private agencies, and each has a different eligibility criteria. There is no mechanism for a cen- tralized case management system; each program or agency does its own . The result is confusion for the clients and often necessary services are not delivered. The function of the Department on Aging is to rovide access to `home care for all older adults re' ardl ess of economic or social need. In an effort to fu l t is mission an . to urt. er reduce harriers to service delivery, the following recommendations are made:. - discontinue the homemaker-home health aide component (training hiring, placing and supervising aides , billing clients) ,. because of the availability of other programs providing these same in home services make available the Department on Aging Corps of homemaker home health aides to other in-home service providers. (Home Health Agency, Department of Social Services , Home Assistars, Medical Personnel Pool , Quality Care and other private providers.)- Department on Aging County funds (approximately $8,000) for Homemaker-Home Health Aides program could be used to estab- lish a limited assistance fund based on a uniform income eligibility and a uniform competitive payment rate for each level of in-home care required.. - Expand the Title III-8 funded case management component within the Department on Aging (with the existing Homemaker-Home Health Aide Coordinator) to enable access to resources for all older Orange County adults. Presently the H-HHA Program _Coordinator spends a large portion of time counseling indi- viduals (over 200 cases yearly) and service coordination activ- ities.. Implementation of the above recommendations would expedite services at lesser- cost to the County to all older adults in Orange County and ensure they receive or have knowledge of all the resources available to them.. Much needs to be done . But only through cooperation and involvement of the total community (public/private) can the needs of elderly be met.. The DoA is committed to that aim.