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Understanding the OAA and Its Impact
When looking at the latest 2023–2024 data from National Core Indicators – Aging and Disabilities (NCI-AD), some surprising gaps stand out between the experiences of Older Americans Act (OAA) recipients and the broader NCI-AD weighted averages.
For context, the Older Americans Act, first passed in 1965, helps provide funding and support for programs that help older adults, especially those with complex needs. The OAA establishes a national network of service organizations and agencies that help provide local delivery of services, and critical to NCI-AD’s observations, supports volunteer and other unpaid caregivers, like friends and family members, allowing more flexibility in services for older adults.
With recent updates to OAA rules and the looming October deadline for compliance, organizations serving the needs older adults may find NCI-AD’s findings especially salient.
Key Findings From NCI-AD
Crucially, NCI-AD’s findings included:
Only 66% of recipients reported that they were able to engage in desired activities outside of the home, and with 21% reporting feeling lonely.
Over 3 out of every 5 OAA recipients report that an unpaid person (family, friend, volunteer) is their primary helper or caregiver. On the one hand, this makes care more accessible and allows older adults more independence, e.g. the choice to remain at home rather than having to move to an assisted living facility. On the other hand, these volunteer caregivers require education and training.
While more than half of the states provide caregiver education and training resources, there remain significant differences in outcomes between services provided by unpaid and paid caregivers:
Relative to the NCI-AD weighted average, OAA recipients reported higher rates of all their needs and current goals being met.
Overall, while it seems clear that OAA recipients have their essential needs met, there appear to remain significant deficiencies in the quality and consistency of the care they are receiving. A key element that seems consistent across the board is that older adults feel they lack control over their own care.
Preparing for the New OAA Rules
As organizations around the country are preparing to meet the new OAA rule requirements deadline by October 1, understanding these outcome discrepancies may prove helpful. Especially during a time of rapid regulatory changes and uncertainty surrounding funding sources and program guidelines, it is helpful to have guidance from industry thought-leaders and identify ways and best practices that can simplify aging care service delivery, reporting, and resource management.
CaseWorthy is dedicated to supporting aging services providers and agencies. Our ServTracker application is purpose-built for service providers to analyze data like these highlighted by NCI-AD, and achieve better efficiency. Data and technology can be used to make limited resources more efficient and effective to ultimately provide better outcomes for the older adult populations you serve.
As part of our commitment to supporting care providers, we team up with industry thought leaders to offer best practices, insider knowledge, and technology solutions. Check out this free recording of our recent webinar, Leveraging Technology in the State of Aging Services, featuring updates on the regulatory landscape by guest speaker Bob Blancato of Matz, Blancato and Associates, who is a longtime Washington D.C. advocate for aging services.
We’re constantly looking for ways to engage with and support aging services providers, whether through our technology solutions or through our free webinar series, so be sure to sign up for our newsletter for updates!
