Background: Researchers and long-term care decision makers speak different languages. These "cultural" and "linguistic" gaps affect the ability of researchers to conduct research that is relevant to policymakers and providers. Likewise, they affect the ability of policymakers and providers to understand the implications and limitations of research that has been conducted.

There is thus a great need for effective "information brokering" among long-term care researchers, policymakers, private sector service providers, and consumers.

Purpose: To improve the accessibility of policy-relevant research and technical information to state and local decision makers whose actions affect the availability of long-term care services and the ways in which they are organized and delivered.

Study Design: The project aimed to fulfill an information-brokering function by:

1. Synthesizing, translating, and disseminating the findings of researchers and other technical experts working on selected long-term care issues
2. Bringing members of the research and technical communities together with state and local decision makers and opinion leaders to develop a shared language for examining long-term care problems and a common understanding of the knowledge base available for addressing them

In its information-brokering role, the project:

1. Commissioned papers
2. Planned and conducted issue- or problem-focused meetings
3. Issued special reports
4. Produced practical briefs synthesizing the findings of these activities

The project aimed to employ sophisticated electronic, print, and face-to-face techniques to reach its target audiences with information that is timely and user-friendly.

National Meetings:

Leveraging Resources for Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS) in a Time of Fiscal Retrenchment - This national conference was held in July 2003 to discuss state strategies aimed at sustaining, expanding and improving HCBS for a growing population of older adults. The meeting’s objectives were to:

1. Assess available evidence on HCBS access, costs, and benefits;
2. Recommend “high leverage” strategies and mechanisms to strengthen HCBS; and,
3. Identify concrete policy-related research and demonstration needs and opportunities.

Additional information on this conference:

1. Meeting agenda
2. A summary presentation prepared for the Administration on Aging's National Summit on Creating Caring Communities
3. Conference Report
4. Policy Brief: An overview of recent state HCBS budget cuts.
5. Working Paper: Finding Resources for HCBS in tough budget times to maximize community-based care: Case studies of three states
6. Policy Brief: Strategies to support HCBS

Linking Housing and Long-Term Care Services for Older Adults - This national conference was held in February 2004 for researchers and policymakers to discuss issues involved in providing and paying for housing and supportive services, particularly those that promote community living for older people with long-term care needs. The specific goals of the meeting were to:

1. Examine issues related to linkages between housing and supportive services, and review state experiences;
2. Identify “high leverage” strategies and mechanisms; and,
3. Identify policy–related research and demonstration needs/opportunities.

Additional information:

1. Meeting agenda
2. Summary Presentation
3. Conference Report
4. The Cost-Effectiveness of Home- and Community-Based Long-Term Care Services: Review and Synthesis of the Most Recent Evidence.
5. Policy Brief: Homes of choice: Towards more effecitve linkages between housing and services
6. Policy Brief: Public Funding for Long-Term Care Services for Older People in Residential Care Settings
7. Special Issue of the Journal of Housing for the Elderly: Linking housing and services for older adults: Obstacles, options, and opportunities. This issue was also published as a separate monograph

You can read the introduction and first chapter, "Homes of Choice: Towards More Effective Linkages Between Housing and Services," in their entirety.

Source: Pynoos, J., Feldman, P.H., & Ahrens, J. (Eds.). (2005). Linking housing and services for older adults: Obstacles, options, and opportunities [Special issue]. Journal of Housing for the Elderly, 18 (3/4). (Also published as: Pynoos, J., Feldman, P.H., & Ahrens, J. (Eds.). (2005). Linking housing and services for older adults: Obstacles, options, and opportunities. Binghamton, NY: The Haworth Press, Inc.)

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Sponsor: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation