Document Type
Report
Publication Date
9-2017
Keywords
Maine, Older Adults, LTSS, Long Term Services and Supports, state policy, financing, delivery system, integration, HCBS, Disability and Aging, Cutler Institute, USM Aging Initiative, Policy, Health and Wellness
Abstract
The current growth of the population age 65 and older is one of the most significant demographic trends in the history of this country and is especially significant for Maine, where the number of people age 65 and older is growing even faster than the rest of the nation. By 2025, over a quarter of Maine’s population is expected to be age 65 and older. Because the cost of long term paid support is out of reach for many Mainers, public financing—particularly Medicaid financing—is an essential tool for addressing the long term support needs of older adults. But Medicaid is only one tool, not enough to get the job done. As Maine prepares itself for increasing demand on public resources, it needs to use those resources as cost-effectively as possible by finding new ways to use Medicaid, leveraging and supporting the power of community, and fostering cost-effective innovations to make living at home—the preferred option for most people—a reality whenever possible.
This report provides a snapshot of Maine’s older adults, the primary service options in place now, and the key policy levers available for ensuring that public resources are put to their optimal use to make sure that, as we age, we are able to live healthy, active, secure and engaged lives no matter the type of support we might need.
Funding Organization
Maine Health Access Foundation
Recommended Citation
Griffin E, Gattine E. Charting a Pathway Forward: Redesigning and Realigning Supports and Services for Maine's Older Adults. Portland, ME: University of Southern Maine, Muskie School of Public Service; September, 2017.
Comments
Prepared by the Muskie School of Public Service for the Maine Health Access Foundation, September 2017. The authors thank Stuart Bratesman, Frances Jiminez, and Louise Olsen for their many contributions to this report and Christine Richards at Composition 1206 for her thoughtful graphic design.
MeHAF is Maine’s largest private nonprofit health foundation dedicated to promoting access to quality healthcare, especially for those who are uninsured and underserved, and improving the health of everyone in Maine. To learn more about MeHAF, please visit www.mehaf.org.
The Muskie School of Public Service is Maine’s distinguished public policy school, combining an extensive applied research and technical assistance portfolio with rigorous undergraduate and graduate degree programs in geography-anthropology; tourism and hospitality; policy, planning, and management; and public health. The school is nationally recognized for applying innovative knowledge to critical issues in the fields of sustainable development and health and human service policy and management, and is home to the Cutler Institute for Health and Social Policy.