Dear Colleague,
April was National Minority Health Month, and May is Older Americans Month. In observance, we invite you to explore our resources for delivering culturally and linguistically competent long-term services and supports (LTSS).
Long-term services and supports (LTSS) are a vital part of care for many dually eligible beneficiaries. Nearly half (42 percent) of full-benefit dual eligibles used LTSS in 2013, including nursing facility services, adult day programs, home care, and personal care services. Individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups often experience disparities in access, quality, and outcomes in LTSS, such as higher rates of rehospitalization under home health care and lower quality of care in nursing homes. LGBT individuals also experience disparities in LTSS. To help address these disparities, providers and plans may look for ways to meet the cultural and linguistic needs, values, and preferences of diverse individuals.
Resources for Integrated Care (RIC) has developed the following resources, linked below, to assist providers and health plans in coordinating and delivering culturally and linguistically competent LTSS. These resources contain promising practices relevant to a wide variety of LTSS settings, and case studies demonstrating these promising practices in action.
Webinar: Providing Culturally Competent Care: Meeting the LTSS Needs of Dually Eligible Beneficiaries
This webinar describes strategies plans and providers can use to identify LTSS preferences, values, and needs of members from diverse cultural backgrounds. It addresses effective approaches for providing culturally competent LTSS to dually eligible beneficiaries and training the LTSS workforce in cultural competence. Speakers share concrete strategies for meeting beneficiaries’ LTSS needs in both institutional and community-based settings, while respecting their diverse cultural preferences.
This webinar is also available as a set of podcasts on our SoundCloud page, which you can access by clicking here. A supplemental resource guide and Q&A document, developed from inquiries received during the webinar, are also available. Jenna McDavid, National Director for the Diverse Elders Coalition, is one of the featured speakers on the webinar.
Photo courtesy of Keiro Northwest.
Spotlight: Culturally Competent LTSS in Action: Keiro Northwest
This Spotlight describes the culturally competent LTSS programs at Keiro Northwest, which include assisted living and skilled nursing facilities, and home care and adult day programs. The Spotlight highlights how they incorporate architecture, décor, food, activities, and cultural and community connections to meet their participants’ needs and preferences.
Resource Compendium: Culturally Competent LTSS
This resource compendium is intended for providers and health plans who are interested in enhancing their capacity to provide and coordinate culturally competent LTSS. Resources include reports, guides, tools, and trainings applicable to a range of LTSS settings.
Resource Compendium: Culturally Competent LTSS for LGBT Individuals
Over one million older adults self-identify as LGBT. Long-term care providers may not always know how to best support LGBT individuals in ways that meet their needs and preferences. This compendium gathers resources for providers who are interested in enhancing their capacity to provide culturally competent LTSS for LGBT individuals.
Additional Cultural Competence Resources
Explore our collection of resources and links to websites with information on cultural competence here. These resources include general cultural and linguistic competence information, educational materials, and topic-specific resources for providers and plans serving individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds and/or with limited English proficiency.
Follow us on Twitter @Integrate_Care, as we highlight additional resources.
RIC develops and disseminates technical assistance and actionable tools for providers of beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid based on successful innovations and care models. The RIC website features additional resources and tools for providers and health plans, available at https://www.resourcesforintegratedcare.com. RIC is supported by the CMS Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office.
Please contact RIC@Lewin.com with any questions.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Diverse Elders Coalition.