A complete list of these policy directions and strategies is included in Appendix B of the final report. In order to expand the home and community-based options that consumers prefer, much work is needed to develop these services and housing options in all parts of the state so they are truly available to all elderly, including elders in ethnic, immigrant and tribal communities. In addition, communities need assistance to further develop their capacity to support older residents. In order to provide services that are more responsive to consumer needs, we must reduce our reliance on nursing homes, and transform and strengthen the remaining nursing homes to serve those consumers who will need the services best provided in the type of protected setting that nursing homes offer. The current emphasis on paperwork and documentation must be refocused to ensure achievement of good outcomes for the consumer.
More quality data needs to be collected and made accessible to consumers and providers.
Because of smaller families and increasing labor force participation rates among women, family caregivers need more support than they have received in the past to manage continued provision of large amounts of assistance to older, frail relatives. While there is no one single strategy that achieves a solution, a number of actions can be taken to more adequately compensate workers and improve recruitment, retention and training of workers. The task force identified 15 strategies as priorities for action in the 2001 legislative session. Major savings result from the closure of excess capacity in the nursing home system. Several of the other individual strategies have minimal costs.