The newest additions to PHI’s National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce:

The Best and Worst State Practices in Medicaid Long-Term Care — This policy brief from the Direct Care Alliance details the different ways in which state Medicaid programs administer long-term care. It highlights several states — including Washington, Oregon, and Vermont — that have introduced innovative ways of honoring consumers’ preference for home and community-based care.

Home Care in Changing Times: Continuing Trends in the Occupation Outlook — This editorial, published in the March 2010 issue of Caring, explores the increasing need for well-trained, competent home care workers. It notes that as the “baby boomer” generation ages, job opportunities for home care workers will rise accordingly: Personal home care aides and home health aides are already among the country’s fastest-growing occupations.

Reforming Long-Term Care in the United States: Findings from a National Survey of Specialists — This article from the April 2010 issue of The Gerontologist presents a survey of long-term care experts, including public officials, providers, consumer advocates, academics, and researchers. The experts give their opinions on various long-term care issues, including the difficulties faced in recruiting and retaining direct-care workers.

Assisted Living State Regulatory Review 2010 — This report, issued by the National Center for Assisted Living, summarizes the state laws and regulations that govern assisted living facilities, including requirements for staff criminal background checks, staff-to-resident ratios, and training requirements.

PHI’s National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce is a national online library for people in search of solutions to the direct-care staffing crisis in long-term care. It houses over 800 articles, reports, issue briefs, and fact sheets on the direct-care workforce.

– by Matthew Ozga