Assistive robots are growing in popularity.  They are being used to assist people with disabilities, the elderly, toddlers, and industrial workers perform physical tasks.  The aim of assistive robotics is to develop robotic aids for supporting people living independently and those who have degenerative limitations, such as elderly and people with disabilities.  The increase in funding worldwide for research on assistive robotics is expected to fuel the growth of the assistive robotics market during the forecast period.

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ACL has released a new Issue Brief on Assistive Technology. Assistive technology (AT) includes software, devices, equipment and products that improve the functioning of individuals of all ages with disabilities. Assistive technology can affect a person’s well-being by improving their ability to walk, eat, bathe, communicate, see, speak and live independently. Technologies also can help address social isolation and improve quality of life by assisting people with communication, mobility, and other daily activities.

This issue brief discusses:

1) the important role of assistive technology in helping people of all ages with disabilities live full and independent lives in their communities; and

2) certain sources of public funding for the technology, including Medicare, Medicaid, and programs that the Administration for Community Living (ACL) manages.  

View the Assistive Technology Issue Brief

The Wisconsin Family and Caregiver Support Alliance(WFACSA) is accepting nominations for our first ‘Thank You for Being A Friend’ award, honoring a notable individual, agency, employer who made a significant impact in a family caregiver’s day, week, year, or life!  Family caregivers can nominate a person, agency, employer of their choosing that has had a significant impact on them.  WFACSA will select one winner in each of the three following categories:

• Supportive Employer
• Supportive Agency
• Supportive Individual

As a family caregiver, do you have someone, whether it be a friend, neighbor, family member, doctor, nurse, care worker, or employer that has made a significant impact on your role as a caregiver?  Maybe someone finally asked how you are doing and whether or not you have the supports you need?  Maybe someone offered to care for your loved one so you could get some sleep and it meant the world to you?  The Wisconsin Family and Caregiver Support Alliance wants to recognize and honor those that support you, the family caregiver.  

To submit a nomination, please complete the form below by September 15, 2019. Nominations will be reviewed by the WFACSA Steering Committee based on the impact as identified by the family caregiver/nominator.  (The Conference Planning Committee reserves the right to present none or multiple awards in any of the categories.)

To submit a nomination, you can Click here to complete a Nomination Form online, or Click Here to download a hard copy to complete and email it back to us at wfacsa@gmail.com.

Deadline to submit a nomination is September 15, 2019. 

Winners will be recognized at the 2019 Self Determination Conference, October 15th at the Kalahari Resort and Conference Center in the Wisconsin Dells.

The Administration for Community Living is seeking input from stakeholders including academic and research universities, area agencies on aging (AAAs), State Units on Aging (SUAs), Aging and Disability Resource Centers, Centers on Independent Living, and non-profit organizations on assessing changes in cognitive health among homebound older adults. Cognitive health – which falls under the broad, umbrella term of brain health – refers to a person’s capacity to “remember, learn, plan, concentrate, and maintain a clear, active mind” [1]. Homebound older adults – when compared to non-homebound older adults – exhibit greater declines and may experience declines in cognitive health that can affect their quality of life and functional independence.

We are seeking input and responses to the following list of questions:

1. What are the characteristics of older adults for whom you conduct cognitive screening tests?
2. What screening test and/or (psychometric) instruments (e.g. tests of recall, attention, processing speed, etc.) does your organization use to measure cognitive health?
3. What is the length and format (e.g. in-person, paper-and-pencil, telephone, web-based, tablet, smartphone, etc.) used to administer these screening tests and/or instruments to the population of older adults you test?;
4. What is the frequency with which your organization administers these tests and/or instruments and the duration over which cognitive health is monitored?;
5. What is your estimate of the general cost per person for administering the test or instrument?
6. What happens when changes are detected in a person’s cognitive health and how is this information used?; and
7. What are the intended health outcomes (e.g., screening for a research study, early identification and detection, improvement through exposure to new interventions, reductions in re-hospitalization, etc.) sought from monitoring cognitive health over a period of time?

Purpose:

The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to gain feedback and input on existing efforts to monitor status changes to cognitive health in the homebound older adult population from individuals or groups including – but not limited to – those in the academic and research communities, Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), State Units on Aging (SUAs), Aging and Disability Resource Centers, Centers for Independent Living, and nonprofit organizations among others.

This RFI is for information and planning purposes only and should not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the federal government or the Administration for Community Living. ACL does not intend to make any awards based on response to this RFI or to otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted to or for the government’s use of such information.

Background:

According to cross-sectional data collected in 2011 by the National Health and Aging Trends Study, approximately 2 million (5.59 percent) of the older adult Medicare population were completely or mostly homebound [2]. A number of studies comparing the health profiles of homebound older adults – as compared to non-homebound older adults – consistently report that homebound older adults tend to be older in age, have multiple chronic conditions, and more frequently use healthcare services including emergency department visits [3].

Underscoring the potential importance of tracking cognitive health among the homebound older adult population is recent evidence finding that self-reported memory difficulties are a strong predictor of the homebound status of older adults [3] and evidence that screening tools and measures may prove useful in identifying those who may be experiencing cognitive decline or dementia despite not having a diagnosis [4].

What We Hope to Learn From this Invitation:

ACL is issuing this RFI to obtain input on existing efforts to monitor status changes in cognition in the homebound older adult population. This information will help ACL better understand what services, supports, and innovations are needed to inform interventions and/or policies to address declines in cognitive health that occur over time in the homebound older adult population.

References:

• https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/cognitive-health-and-older-adults" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/cognitive-health-and-older-adults; https://brainhealth.nia.nih.gov/
• Ornstein, Katherine A et al. “Epidemiology of the Homebound Population in the United States.” JAMA internal medicine vol. 175,7 (2015): 1180-6.
• Musich, Shirley, et al. "Homebound older adults: Prevalence, characteristics, health care utilization and quality of care." Geriatric Nursing 36.6 (2015): 445-450.
• Setter, S., Neumiller, J., Weeks, D., Borson, S., Scanlan, J., & Sonnett, T. (2009). Screening for undiagnosed cognitive impairment in homebound older adults. The Consultant Pharmacist®, 24(4), 299-305.

Addresses:

Comments should be submitted electronically to Dr. Vijeth Iyengar (vijeth.iyengar@acl.hhs.gov) with “RFI-Cognitive Health Status Changes Homebound Older Adults” in the subject line.

For Further Information Contact

Dr. Vijeth Iyengar (vijeth.iyengar@acl.hhs.gov) with “RFI-Cognitive Health Status Changes Homebound Older Adults” in the subject line.

It would be helpful to this RFI and ACL if you could structure your response in the following way:

• Name of respondent
• Preferred contact email
• Organizational affiliation(s)
• Response to questions in the order they appear in the summary section of this RFI

Comment Due Date:

To be assured consideration, comments must be received by 5 pm EST on September 20, 2019.

Three U.S. Senators have introduced “The Exercise and Fitness For All Act” to improve access to fitness equipment and classes for people with disabilities.  The bill would promote the provision of exercise or fitness equipment, and exercise or fitness classes and instruction, that are accessible to individuals with disabilities.  It would have guidelines and regulations for fitness service providers specifying the accessible equipment and classes necessary to  ensure that people with disabilities can obtain the benefits  of physical activity and  fully participate in the services offered by the fitness provider.  

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The Department of Health Services has been granted an extension which pushes the Electronic Visit  Verification (EVV) implementation date back into 2020. The federal law would have gone into effect January 1, 2020, requiring all personal care and supportive home care workers to verify their time/location through an electronic system (smart phone, etc.).  

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For the third time this year, additional funding will keep alive a federal program that moves individuals with disabilities from institutions into the community.  Legislation signed this month allots another $122.5 million for Money Follows the Person which is a Medicaid program provides states with funding to pay for employment supports, housing and other services so that people with disabilities can transition from nursing homes and other institutional facilities to homes in the community.  The latest action will keep the program running through the end of this year, but advocates say it's operating at a  minimum level.

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The U.S. Access Board has released for public comment advisory guidelines for wheelchairs used on commercial passenger aircraft during flight. These onboard wheelchairs are provided by air carriers as a means of facilitating the transfer of passengers with disabilities to aircraft lavatories since personal wheelchairs cannot be used in the cabin. The Department of Transportation (DOT) has expressed its intention to supplement its regulations under the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) to include performance standards for onboard wheelchairs on covered aircraft. The Board is developing these non-binding guidelines as technical assistance to air carriers and manufacturers of onboard wheelchairs by providing an example of how to meet DOT's planned performance standards.

As indicated in a https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/08/20/2019-17873/advisory-guidelines-for-aircraft-onboard-wheelchairs">notice published in the Federal Register, the guidelines specify dimensions, features, and capabilities for onboard wheelchairs that will allow passengers with disabilities to be more safely and comfortably transported aboard airplanes in flight. In addition, the guidelines include criteria to allow the onboard wheelchair to fully enter the lavatory in a backward orientation and be positioned over a closed toilet, and for the lavatory door to be closed. This feature would afford those passengers who cannot independently transfer to the toilet to have privacy in performing non-toileting tasks related to personal hygiene or medical needs. The Board has posed a number of questions to the public about specific provisions in the guidelines but welcomes input on all portions of the document.

As part of a negotiated https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/ACCESS%20Committee%20Final%20Resolution.11.21.16.pdf">rulemaking to improve access for air travelers with disabilities, DOT has put forth plans to supplement its ACAA regulations and require onboard wheelchairs with enhanced functionality on aircraft with more than 125 passenger seats.

Related information, including instructions for submitting comments, is posted at https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=ATBCB-2019-0002" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.regulations.gov (Docket ATBCB-2019-0002). Comments are due October 21, 2019. In addition, on September 12, 2019, the Board will hold a public hearing that will provide an opportunity to submit comments either in person or by phone. Further details will be posted on the Board's website at https://www.access-board.gov/onboard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.access-board.gov/onboard. Those who wish to provide testimony at the hearing should contact Rose Marie Bunales at (202) 272-0006 (voice) or bunales@access-board.gov by September 5, 2019.

For further details on the guidelines or the public hearing, contact Wendy Marshall at (202) 272-0043 (voice) or marshall@access-board.gov, or Mario Damiani at (202) 272-0050 (voice) or damiani@access-board.gov.

Public Hearing on Advisory Guidelines for Aircraft Onboard Wheelchairs  
September 12, 2019, 9:30 - 4:00 (ET)
Remote attendance options will be posted at: https://www.access-board.gov/onboard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.access-board.gov/onboard
Access Board Conference Center 
1331 F Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, D.C.