Administration for Community Living

Self Advocates Becoming Empowered and ACL's Administration on Disabilities are pleased to announce the 2024-2025 Self Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center (SAR-TAC) award fellows: https://lnkd.in/gvG87sT9

Submit your presentations for the upcoming 2024 Virtual KT Conference! This year’s theme is, “Disability Inclusion, Intersectionality, and Knowledge Translation”. The conference will take place entirely online, October 14, 16, and 18, 2024, 1–4 p.m. (Eastern Time), each day. https://lnkd.in/eYfE6NT8

This afternoon, HHS released key regulations to protect civil rights in health programs. The final "1557 rule" includes important provisions for disabled people and older adults. https://lnkd.in/e26bqNdd

In case you missed it during #CareWeek

ACL’s National Center on Advancing Person-Centered Practices and Systems (NCAPPS) is accepting applications for the Older Americans Act Nutrition Services Learning Collaborative. The collaborative will bring together teams of state units on aging, area agencies on aging, aging and disability resource centers, No Wrong Door programs, tribal organizations, nutrition program professionals, and their community partners to share promising practices, innovations, sustainability strategies, and more. Apply by 5/24. https://lnkd.in/ey-8u4Sa 

There's still time to register! Join us on May 2 for the Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Symposium, a day of free virtual sessions on pressing issues in mental health and aging. Sign up: https://lnkd.in/ggawbvyQ #OAMHAD #MHAM2024 #OlderAmericansMonth

This collaborative is administered through a cooperative agreement with ACL as part of ACL's $20M initiative to support implementation of the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers. Champions are likely to be leaders and managers from organizations that administer caregiver services and supports such as state units on aging, area agencies on aging, Title VI programs, aging services providers, and caregiving service providers.

Alison Barkoff marked Lesbian Visibility Week today by meeting with advocates, researchers, policy experts and providers to discuss barriers facing older lesbians. Their discussion examined a number of issues related to caregiving, barriers to accessing services and supports, and how the federal government can be more responsive to meet the needs of older lesbians.   She was joined ACL’s Elliot Kennedy and Dr. Damita J. Zweiback, Executive Director of Mary's House for Older Adults; Shane Snowdon, founder of the National Center for LGBT Health & Equity at the University of California San Francisco; Lisa Krinsky, Director of the LGBTQ Aging Project at The Fenway Institute; Tari Hanneman, Director of the Health and Aging Program at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation; Mandy Carter, cofounder of Southerners On New Ground and the National Black Justice Coalition, and member of the National Council of Elders; Rebecca Fox, Vice President of Programs at Astrea Foundation; Win Quinn, Director of Nursing Workforce and Policy at the AARP Center for Health Equity through Nursing; Cassandra Cantave, professor, researcher and aging professional known for her work on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; and Dianne Stone, Associate Director at the National Council on Aging.

ACL is pleased to fund the Direct Care Workforce (DCW) Strategies Center, whose work was highlighted today as a key pillar of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Care Workers Recognition Month. The Center's activities also support President Biden’s Executive Order on Increasing Access to High-Quality Care and Supporting Caregivers. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today that 20 states have been selected to participate in two separate technical assistance programs through the DCW Strategies Center that together will help participating states better recruit, train, and retain direct care workers, who provide home and community-based services (HCBS) for older adults and people with disabilities. HHS also announced the first members of the advisory committee that will guide the center’s work. “Urgent action is needed to address the shortage of direct care professionals — which is threatening to reverse decades of progress in community living,” said Alison Barkoff, who leads the Administration for Community Living (ACL). “ACL’s Direct Care Workforce Strategies Center was developed in partnership with DOL and agencies across HHS to catalyze that action and to improve recruitment, retention, and development of this critical workforce. The technical assistance announced today will help 20 states improve collaboration across state agencies, direct care professionals, people receiving services, and other stakeholders and accelerate progress toward this goal.” Read today's announcement and updates on the DCW Strategies Center on ACL.gov. https://lnkd.in/eKaMNmu2 #CareWeek

ACL's Alison Barkoff breaks down the Access rule, detailing what’s most important for people with disabilities and older adults to know. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services rule (Access Rule) on Monday. This rule will strengthen the HCBS that make it possible for people to live in their own homes, stay connected to friends and family, and participate in the community in ways that are meaningful to them. Read more about the Access rule by checking out the ACL blog. https://lnkd.in/gZ6pF9VZ #CareWeek