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Charting new
courses –
State grants fund
long-term care innovations
Seniors and their
families across Minnesota will soon benefit from
innovative and expanded long-term care services
funded through a new state grant program. The
Legislature enacted the funding program as part of
its long-term care reform package passed in the
special session of 2001 as a result of intense
collaborative efforts of the tri-partisan,
legislative Long-Term Care Task Force.
This new approach
is a major step in Minnesota’s effort to
significantly increase services delivered to people
in their communities. In addition, the grant funds
are intended to support service providers to deliver
services more effectively and to produce services
that will meet seniors’ needs in a high quality
way. "The overall goal of the grants,"
explains Rolf Hage, a community capacity consultant
for the Department of Human Services (DHS), "is
to create a broader range of community-based
services for long-term care in addition to the
traditional nursing home model."
About $8.5 million
of grant money has been given out in three separate
rounds announced in January, April and July of this
year. Another round of grants is scheduled for 2003.
"DHS is implementing the grant program to
increase services across the state," he added.
The grants fund capital improvements to expand
supports such as adult day services and affordable
assisted living. They also provide start-up funding
for new programs and for expanding existing
programs. The goal in making the awards is to fund
services where they are most needed. "It’s
also important that applicants make a strong case
that their service will be self-supporting into the
future," Hage explained.
Hage also stated
that "These funds provide leverage to change
the entire system." The creation of the grant
program follows market trends. The Long-Term Care
Task Force learned early on that nursing homes are
no longer the preferred care alternative for many
older Minnesotans. "Twenty-five years ago, it
was the only option people had," Hage said.
"What we’re actually doing is catching-up
with how older people choose to live" he
continued.
The grant process
has also challenged long-term care providers to
think differently about how they deliver services
and to allow some flexibility in funding as they
strengthen or create totally new models of care. At
the same time, the "process is competitive.
Approximately one-in-three applicants receives a
grant," Hage said. "And we’ve worked
with many organizations not selected in the first
round of awards and tried to communicate how to
improve their applications. It’s a learning
process for all of us."
As new services get
up and running, DHS will spread the word to other
parts of the state about successful projects.
"When people see how the new, innovative models
work we hope that more providers will try to do
something similar in their communities," Hage
said. "Awards have been distributed across the
state to priority need areas identified by
communities." Hage added, "We look forward
to innovative models including remodeling and
renovating affordable senior housing to enable the
delivery of support services so people can age in
place. Other ideas, like adult day services, care
coordination, and volunteer-supported transportation
and chore services, can be new options, too."
Overall, the new
grant program will help turn the long-term care
system upside down. "There’s a certain
urgency in our work to provide services and
alternatives now to prepare for the time when aging
baby boomers will need long-term care," Hage
stated. "We want people to have as many service
option as we can. Everyone will benefit – seniors,
families, entire communities."
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