Older Americans Act: More Federal Action Needed on Public/Private Elder Care Partnerships.
Abstract
A relatively new development-private corporations purchasing elder care services for their employees from public sector agencies-is creating a dilemma for the Administration on Aging (AOA) and state and area agencies on aging. In this unusual arrangement, area agencies on aging broker or provide services to corporate employees and their families. These may include enhanced information and referral, case management, needs-assessment surveys, caregiver support groups, and other services. The purchase of services by private corporations from public entities offers benefit and risk. The benefit is the infusion of private funds into an oversubscribed system of public services for persons 60 years of age and older authorized under the Older Americans Act (OAA). The risk is possible neglect of activities to achieve the public mission under 0AA. These activities include the targeting of benefits to socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, state oversight of area-agency-on-aging activity, and preservation of the independence of area agencies on aging to act in the public interest. In 1990, A0A asked state agencies on aging to develop elder care policies. You asked us to review these policies by: determining whether states have developed policies that permit elder care contracts between corporations and area agencies on aging and; assessing whether state policies adequately ensure that their public mission will be preserved when area agencies on aging enter into corporate elder care contracts. (KAR) P. 2
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA298458
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office