Home Based Care Preferred to Institutional Care By CMS

Over 8 Million dollars in federal grants is to go to seven states. This is part of an effort to increase awareness of alternative long term care options. The alternative to traditional nursing homes is home and community based long term care options. This has come out of a statement by Acting Administrator, CMS, Kerry Weems.

The grant money is part of the RCSC grant program. The Real Choice Systems Change is meant to help a rebalancing of long term support programs by states and territories in a manner that people with chronic illnesses or disabilities who reside in their homes and participate in community.

Most of the money – over 7 million dollars is to be used to develop person centered hospital discharge planning models. Involvement of patients and their families in after care plans is to be emphasized in the new models. Home based alternatives to institutional care are to be explored.

South Carolina, Alaska and Kansas are to expand the ADRC’s in those states. Oregon and Missouri will develop new ADRC’s. Idaho is to concentrate on a person centered hospital discharge planning model. ADRC’s are community based organizations.

These awards are a sign of the administrations commitment to help people who want to stay in their homes to do so.