Press Release
Dr. Nancy Miller Discusses Long-Term Care for Seniors

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

College Park, MD - May 20, 2010 - Dr. Nancy Miller, associated professor at University of Maryland – Baltimore County, presented findings from a recent study on home and community-based care (HCBS) and its correlation to rebalancing long-term care systems. Dr. Miller’s presentation, “Medicaid Home and Community-Based Care,” discussed Federal and state policy initiatives related to long-term care, Medicaid’s role in providing long-term care, and factors that are related to provision of HCBS.

HCBS benefits include home health, personal care and 1915(c) waivers; as well as long-term care including nursing facility services and intermediate care for the mentally retarded.  Dr. Miller analyzed the rates of nursing home usage across the U.S., factoring in socio-demographics, economic status, programmatic investment, and other external independent variables. The study concluded that there was an increase of state investment in 44 states and the District. Increased HCBS investment was significantly associated with lower total rates of use and lower rates of use for older adults, suggesting continued policy support for HCBS expansion. Finally, the study implies further research focused on vulnerable subpopulations at risk for institutional care, i.e. older working-age adults and individuals with serious mental health issues.

Dr. Miller is an associate professor in the Department of Public Policy and a core faculty member for the Intercampus Ph.D. in Gerontology.  Dr. Miller is an Affiliate Associate Professor with UMBC’s Erickson School.  She received both her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, where she specialized in health policy.

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