I’m always eager to share resources for people who want to learn more about the senior living industry and related topics such as long-term care. That’s why I was glad to see the latest AARP Public Policy Institute Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) State Scorecard report.
Ranking LTSS by state
LTSS covers the activities of daily living (ADLs) needed by older adults and people with long-term disabilities — from personal care and wound care to help with housekeeping, meal preparation, and managing bills. These services can be provided in a person’s home or in a facility such as assisted living. The AARP scorecard also includes support services for unpaid family caregivers.
The online scorecard uses state-by-state data to evaluate LTSS across five key areas:
- Affordability and access
- Choice of setting and provider
- Quality of life and quality of care
- Support for family caregivers
- Effective transitions
Based on these dimensions, the top-performing states in the 2017 report were:
- Washington
- Minnesota
- Vermont
- Oregon
- Alaska
An improved scorecard
First released in 2011 and updated every three years, the LTSS State Scorecard highlights successes and identifies opportunities to improve services for older Americans and people with disabilities. AARP has partnered with organizations such as The Commonwealth Fund and The SCAN Foundation to produce these reports and to use the findings to inform policymakers at both state and federal levels on behalf of seniors, people with disabilities, and their caregivers.
>> Related: The Long-Term Care Ombudsmen Program: Advocating for Seniors
The 2017 scorecard added greater interactivity, making the data easier to explore and more useful for consumers, providers, and policymakers. In addition to the report, users can view state-level metrics online, compare an individual state to the national picture, or directly compare multiple states side by side.
Key metrics in the scorecard that are especially relevant to seniors and the senior living sector include:
- Median annual nursing home private-pay cost as a percentage of median household income, age 65+
- Median annual home care private-pay cost as a percentage of median household income, age 65+
- Private long-term care insurance policies in force per 1,000 people, age 40+
- Assisted living and residential care units per 1,000 population, age 75+
- Support for working caregivers (composite indicator, scale 0–9)
- Percent of home health patients with a hospital admission
- Percent of people with nursing home stays of 90+ days who successfully transition back to the community
>> Related: How to Analyze the Quality of a CCRC Healthcare Center
What we learn from the 2017 data
The 2017 scorecard shows improvement in many states compared with 2014, but it also highlights ongoing gaps in support for vulnerable populations. For example, the report notes that most states saw little to no change in the Affordability and Access measures. LTSS costs continue to outpace what many middle-income families can afford, and the majority of adults lack private long-term care insurance.
There is encouraging news as well: most states improved on at least one of the scorecard’s measures, indicating progress in specific areas such as caregiver supports, care transitions, or care setting options.
Review the 2017 scorecard and interactive site to explore LTSS performance in your state and to identify where services are improving or where more attention is needed.