United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Program Evaluation and Methodology Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1994-04-14 monographic deposited born digital GA 1.13:T-PEMD-94-20 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-PEMD-94-20 P0b002ee18037a615 f:tpe94020 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-T-PEMD-94-20 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-T-PEMD-94-20 T-PEMD-94-20 Elder care Long-term care Elderly persons State-administered programs Medicare programs Human resources utilization Federal/state relations Surveys Health care planning Home health care services Social Services Block Grant Medicaid Home and Community-Based Waiver Program Health Security Act Clinton Health Care Plan National Health Care Reform Initiative Testimony PEMD Because of advances in medicine and public health, Americans are living longer than ever before. Nearly one in every eight Americans were 65 years of age or older in 1990; by 2020, this ratio is expected to rise to one in five. To maintain their independence, many elderly need daily help with routine activities, such as bathing, dressing, shopping, and meal preparation. Home and community-based long-term care for the elderly is today financed and run through a host of federal and state programs. This fragmentation can result in elderly persons being reevaluated every time they apply for a new program or pass a particular milestone, such as being discharged from a hospital. Despite this potential for redundancy, geriatric assessment is a potentially useful part of any program with frail elderly clients seeking community and home-based long-term care. This testimony discusses (1) what geriatric evaluation is and how it is used, (2) the extent to which it is available in public programs, (3) the professional requirements for persons who administer it, and (4) the pros and cons of standardizing the evaluation process. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-PEMD-94-20/html/GAOREPORTS-T-PEMD-94-20.htm GAO/T-PEMD-94-20 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-PEMD-94-20 Testimony GAO/T-PEMD-94-20; Long-Term Care: The Need for Geriatric Assessment in Publicly Funded Home and Community-Based Programs; Elder care Long-term care Elderly persons State-administered programs Medicare programs Human resources utilization Federal/state relations Surveys Health care planning Home health care services Social Services Block Grant Medicaid Home and Community-Based Waiver Program Health Security Act Clinton Health Care Plan National Health Care Reform Initiative