• To avoiding institutionalization
• Familiarity of the home environment and associated sense of independence
• Lower perceived costs
• Continuity of family life and care

Types of home care
For those who want to remain in their homes for as long as possible, home care agencies provide a host of services ranging from skilled care offered by nurses, therapists and social workers, to home health aide services related to skilled care, to non-medical, personal care services. Throughout the United States, there are three primary types of home care:

• Skilled home health care — the largest segment of public expenditures for home care 
• Non-medical home care — includes personal care, homemaker services, respite care and home-delivered meals
• Hospice care — supportive and palliative care for the terminally ill and their families 

Paying for home care
Home care services can be paid for through a variety of private and public sources.

Private Sources

• Self-pay
• Commercial health insurance companies
• Managed care organizations
• CHAMPUS
• Workers' compensation

Public Sources

• Medicare
• Medicaid
• Older Americans Act
• Veterans Administration
• Social Services block grant programs

Community organizations such as local chapters of the American Cancer Society, the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Easter Seal Society also provide funding to help pay for home care services.

Genworth Financial recently released its 2007 Cost of Care Survey, looking at costs associated with with home health care, assisted living facilities and nursing homes.

Home care in Indiana
All home care and hospice providers in Indiana must meet certain regulatory standards to provide services to Hoosiers. Home health agencies in Indiana must be licensed by the Indiana State Department of Health. Many of these same providers are also Medicare and Medicaid certified. Non-medical, personal services agencies will be required to be licensed in 2008.

The website of the Indiana Association of Home and Hospice Care (IAHHC) offers a daily news feed on home care issues, resources for member organizations, legislative updates relating to home care and consumer resources, including a list of home care and hospice providers in Indiana. For specific questions, contact IAHHC at (317) 844-6630.

Thanks to Jean MacDonald of IAHHC for her contributions to this article.

Deadline approaching for ICCA presenters
The deadline for submitting a presentation proposal for the Indiana Collaborative Conference on Aging (ICCA) is August 31. If you are interested in presenting, you can download an application now.

ICCA sponsor and exhibitor opportunities available
If your organization is interested in sponsoring the ICCA or would like to have an exhibit booth at the conference, download a sponsor/exhibitor form now.

For more information about ICCA, please contact Becky Cass at (317) 791-5939.

Just a click away...

OAA Gateway — Understand the changes brought about by the Older Americans Act (OAA) 2006 Amendments by visiting a new online gateway. The Gateway to the OAA 2006 Amendments includes: an outline summary of new provisions in the Act; statutory text for each new provision (new/revised language only); and technical assistance resource links. The site also includes other valuable information and resources related to the Older Americans Act 2006 Amendments.

Hiring a consultant? — If your organization is considering hiring a consultant, you might want to check out "An Insider's Guide to Outside Advice," published by the Grand Victoria Foundation. You'll find sample RFPs and letters of agreement, as well as useful tools for everything from screening proposals to evaluating the project.

Senior transportation site — The National Center on Senior Transportation (NCST) has launched www.seniortransportation.net .  The site offers extensive resources toward the advancement of transportation options for older adults who wish to live more independently within their communities. 

Growing Older in America: The Health & Retirement Study — sponsored by the National Institute on Aging under a cooperative agreement with the University of Michigan, follows more than 20,000 men and women over 50, offering insight into the changing lives of the older U.S. population.
http://www.nia.nih.gov/ResearchInformation/ExtramuralPrograms/
BehavioralAndSocialResearch/HRS.htm 
 

Free Nonprofit Seminar
What: "Major Gifts: Finding the Perfect Donors who Love Your Mission and Stay with You for Life"

When: Wednesday, August 8, 10:00am-12:00pm

Where: Arthur M. Glick Jewish Community Center, 6701 Hoover Road, Indianapolis

Learn a tested and proven system to rapidly identify and cultivate the perfect major donors who love your mission — donors who will give for operations, capital and endowment. For more information, contact Alaina Szlachta at (206) 709-9400, x132.

Pre-registration required. To register: http://sforce.benevon.com/intros/midwest.htm

To view a free online video, "Seventeen Minutes to Sustainable Funding," go to http://sforce.benevon.com/free_online_video.html.

Aging network news

Generations, Area 13 Agency on Aging — is offering a free six-week class on "Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions."  Two locations have been set so far: Knox County: Vincennes University Student Union on Wednesdays from 9 to 11:30am, September 5 through October 10. Greene County: Glenburn Community and Wellness Center in Linton, on Thursday from 1 to 3pm, September 6 through October 11. For more information, call Generations at 1-800-742-9002.

Memory Walks —  The Alzheimer's Association of Greater Indiana is gearing up for its annual Memory Walks around the state. Eleven Memory Walks will take place in Indiana this fall. To form your team, or for more information about the walk closest to you, visit http://www.alz.org/indiana/in_my_community_memorywalk.asp

H.O.P.P. Conference — The Healthy Older Peoples Program conference will be held on Friday, September 14 in Indianapolis. This year's theme is Rejuvenation! Cost is $6 in advance or $8 at the door. For more information or to register, contact Judy Whorton at (317) 221-3022 or jwhorton@hhcorp.org.

Area 4 Agency on Aging —  in Lafayette offers "The Busy Boomers Guide to Helping Mom and Dad" once each month. On August 14, the topic will be "Understanding Medicare and Medicare Part D." September's topic, to be presented on September 11, is "Current Medicaid Issues." For more information, visit www.areaivagency.org.

This I Believe —  Looking for a way to jumpstart insightful conversation among your clients? Check out "This I Believe," an international project engaging people in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values that guide their daily lives. The project is based on the popular 1950s radio series of the same name hosted by Edward R. Murrow. Visit the This I Believe website to print past essays or to listen to the recorded version. The website also offers a discussion guide for group facilitators, as well as essay-writing tips for any of your clients who wish to submit their own stories. Essays written by Central Indiana contributors are available on the WFYI 90.1 FM website.