Center for Research on Aging and Disability Options (CRADO)

• KDADS
• Kansas Area Agencies on Aging
• AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
• Topeka Independent Living Center
• Kansas Health Institute
• interRAI
• Community Developmental Disability Organizations
  • InterHab (Kansas CDDO Coalition)

• Research and Training Center on Independent Living
• KU Department of Sociology
• KUMC School of Nursing

• Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS)
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
• Department for Children and Families
• AARP
• KS Advocates for Better Care
• ACL Administration for Community Living
• Kaiser Family Foundation
• AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• Gerontological Society of America

SW 833

The KU School of Social Welfare offers a concentration course addressing social work with older adults as well as a variety of aging practicum settings to suit your interests.

Social Welfare 833: Social Work and Aging will prepare students for a variety of job settings as well as expose them to multi-disciplinary and multi-generational aspects of gerontological social work. Social Welfare 833: Social Work and Aging is constructed to incorporate a broad range of knowledge and skills pertaining to social work with older adults.

The Sigler Family Aging Scholars Program aims to develop the next generation of leaders in the field of gerontological social work by offering an innovative, individualized, and community-engaged learning opportunity to Bachelors and Master’s students in the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare who demonstrate a passion for serving older adults through multi-level gerontology practice, policy, and research.

Learn more on the Sigler Family Aging Scholars Program webpage.

You can find resources on social work careers in Aging at The Geriatric Social Work Initiative and The National Association on Social Workers. Geriatric social work ranks as one of the top 20 careers in terms of growth potential. The number of older people, particularly those over 85, is growing, and they need more assistance to remain active and independent. Well-trained, aging-savvy social workers serve as "navigators" and "expediters," empowering older adults and families to understand and choose among the bewildering array of available health and social services. They also provide counseling and direct services, facilitate family support, and coordinate care delivered through professional systems.

The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) contracted with CRADO to develop a Medicaid Functional Eligibility Instrument (MFEI). The MFEI will be used to determine eligibility & support needs for Medicaid Long-Term Services & Supports (LTSS) for customers who have physical disabilities (PD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD) or who are frail elders (FE). The nursing home population was also included. Throughout the course of the project, CRADO partnered with the Research and Training Center on Independent Living, KU Medical Center, Aging and Disability Resource Centers, Community Developmental Disability Organizations, KanCare MCOs, Long Term Service & Supports Providers & Medicaid consumers to ensure the tool was responsive to stakeholders needs. The MFEI tool is based on interRAI tools, with state specific adaptations and was widely tested to ensure validity and reliability. CRADO also developed training materials to accompany the tool.

Program for All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Evaluation: PACE is an innovative program that provides all health and long-term care for older adults under a single capitated payment, and holds promise for containing Medicaid costs while improving quality of care. In this project, we compared Medicaid cost expenditures and selected health outcomes for customers in PACE to matched customers in Home and Community Based Services/Frail Elderly (HCBS/FE) and Nursing Facilities (NFs). Our findings can inform decisions on managing and expanding the PACE program.

Pace Final Report

In FY09 the Center for Research on Aging and Disability Options (CRADO) began a study to examine the mental health status and needs, interventions, and discharge patterns of older adults using Medicaid who reside in Kansas nursing facilities (NFs). For mental health status and needs, this study will analyze the characteristics (e.g., demographics, mood, behaviors) associated with NF residents mental health diagnoses and identify potential barriers to addressing mental health needs. When examining interventions, we will investigate the mental health interventions currently in use as well as identify emerging and evidence-based practices and/or interventions, with a focus on interventions that could assist Medicaid residents with mental health needs in discharging from NFs to community-based settings. In order to examine discharge patterns, the mental health status and need, and interventions will be investigated for their relationship to discharge patterns and NF tenure. The findings from this study will provide background information for the future implementation of mental health interventions in nursing facilities and recommendations for the training of NF staff members and CARE assessors.

Below are links to the project reports from this study:

Community Supports

Diagnoses and Follow-Up

Essential Elements for Successful Discharge

Successful Discharge Scenarios