Bridging the Aging and Developmental Disabilities Service ... - rrtcadd

• Promote the health and function of adults with intellectual disability affected by
dementia.
• Produce appropriate community and social supports and care for adults with an
intellectual disability affected by dementia.
• Produce a capable work force and produce education and training materials.
The Executive Summary of the NTG report is in Appendix 6. The entire report can be
downloaded at http://www.rrtcadd.org.
The Affordable Care Act, the Lifespan Respite Care Act, and the National Alzheimer’s Project
Act have potential to dramatically improve the coordination, quality and cost-effectiveness of
health care and long-term services and supports for an aging population that includes people with
long-term physical, developmental, and psychiatric disabilities. The AoA and CMS jointly
established Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) as a national effort to streamline
access to government-funded and private pay long-term services and supports. The next section
of this report examines the ADRC program’s role in serving people with developmental
disabilities. It discusses the barriers and best practices in using the ADRC model to link people
with developmental disabilities to long term supports and services. The report also includes
recommendations for strengthening the DD service network’s role in formulating federal policies
for long-term services and supports, including using the ADRC initiative to improve aging and
DD service network collaboration at the state and local levels and to improve outreach and
services to older adults with developmental disabilities and their families.
THE BRIDGING ROLE OF AGING AND DISABILITY RESOURCE
CENTERS
The Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) initiative is a joint effort of AoA and the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The goal is to establish a national network
of ADRCs that serve as local “one-stop shops” by streamlining access to long-term services and
supports for older persons and younger people with disabilities. ADRCs are patterned after
Wisconsin’s successful county-based model that provides access to long-term supports and
services for older adults and younger individuals with physical and developmental disabilities.
AoA and CMS envision the ADRCs as a key element of health and long-term care reform that
will:
• Rebalance states’ long-term care systems from institutional care to home and communitybased
services and supports to facilitate compliance with the Olmstead decision.
• Improve state and local governments’ ability to manage resources and monitor program
quality.
• Encourage middle-aged people to plan for their future long-term care needs by providing
information and options counseling about publicly funded and private pay services and
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