As the demographics of the United States shift toward a population that is made up of an increasing percentage of older adults and people with disabilities, the workforce that supports and enables these individuals is also shifting to meet the demands of this population. For many older adults and people with disabilities, their priorities include maximizing their independence, living in their own homes, and participating in their communities. In order to meet this population's demands, the workforce is adapting by modifying its training, by determining how to coordinate among the range of different professionals who might play a role in supporting any one older adult or individual with disabilities, and by identifying the ways in which technology might be helpful.

To better understand how the increasing demand for supports and services will affect the nation's workforce, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a public workshop in June 2016, in Washington, DC. Participants aimed to identify how the health care workforce can be strengthened to support both community living and community participation for adults with disabilities and older adults. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

Contents

• The National Academies of SCIENCES • ENGINEERING • MEDICINE
• PLANNING COMMITTEE FOR A WORKSHOP ON STRENGTHENING THE WORKFORCE TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY LIVING AND PARTICIPATION
• FORUM ON AGING, DISABILITY, AND INDEPENDENCE
• Reviewers
• Acknowledgments
• 1. Introduction
  • OPENING REMARKS
  • ORGANIZATION OF THE PROCEEDINGS
• 2. Characterizing the Users and Providers of Long-Term Services and Supports
  • CHARACTERISTICS AND NEEDS OF LONG-TERM SERVICES AND SUPPORTS USERS
    H. Stephen Kaye, Professor.
  • GOVERNMENT PERSPECTIVE ON THE WORKFORCE PROVIDING LONG-TERM SERVICES AND SUPPORTS
    Luis Padilla, Associate Administrator.
  • DISCUSSION
• 3. Enabling Community Participation Through Workforce Training, Education, and Development
  • WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE SPECTRUM OF CARE
    Michael Johnson, Practice Leader.
  • SUPPORTING THE ROLES OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS
    Carol Levine, Director.
  • TRAINING FOR DIRECT SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS
    Barbara Merrill, Chief Executive Officer.
  • BUILDING CAPACITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE GERIATRICS WORKFORCE
    Joan Weiss, Senior Advisor.
  • DISCUSSION
• 4. Perspectives on Coordination Across the Spectrum of Caregivers, Providers, Services, and Supports
  • COORDINATING MEDICAL AND SOCIAL MODELS TO ENHANCE CARE DELIVERY
    Robyn Golden, Director of Health and Aging.
  • CATCH-ON
  • COMMUNITY-LEVEL COORDINATION BY AREA AGENCIES ON AGING
    Sandy Markwood, Chief Executive Officer.
  • CONTINUITY OF COMMUNITY LIVING: AN INDEPENDENT LIVING PERSPECTIVE
    Editor: Glen White.
  • INTERAGENCY COORDINATION BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
    Editor: Karen Guice.
  • DISCUSSION
• 5. Harnessing the Potential of Technology to Enable Community Living and Participation and Optimize Person-Centered Services
  • APPS TO PROMOTE INDEPENDENCE AND CONNECTEDNESS THROUGH THE COORDINATION OF SERVICES
    David Gustafson, Director.
  • BRINGING ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGIES TO SCALE
    Mohammed Yousuf, Program Manager.
  • BENDING THE ARC OF WORKFORCE TRAINING VIA TECHNOLOGY
    David Lindeman, Director of Health.
  • DISCUSSION
• 6. Facilitated Table Discussions
  • TRAINING
  • COORDINATION
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR STRENGTHENING THE WORKFORCE TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY LIVING
• 7. Closing Remarks
• References
• APPENDIXES
  • Appendix A. Workshop Agenda
  • Appendix B. Biographical Sketches of Workshop Speakers and Moderators

Rapporteurs: Sarah Domnitz and Joe Alper.

Suggested citation:

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2017. Strengthening the workforce to support community living and participation for older adults and individuals with disabilities: Proceedings of a workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23656.