Money Follows the Person Project
Program Background
Despite existing efforts to provide information about
home and community-based options, there may be nursing home residents who are
unaware of available home and community-based long term care options. The goals
of the Money Follows the Person (MFP) Project are to identify those individuals
who are interested in moving from
 institutional to community-based settings and to educate those who
choose to leave nursing home facilities on the community-based, integrated, and
accessible options that are available to them in their community.
Program Information
The Westchester Independent Living Center (WILC) has
been contracted by the New York State Department of Health to administer the
Money Follows the Person (MFP) Project in the Lower Hudson Valley Region. The
purpose of the MFP Project is to provide objective information to nursing home
residents on available community-based services should they want to transition
out of the nursing home.
Service Provision Area
Program coordination for this statewide MFP Project is
divided into 9 geographic regional areas. WILC’s Lower Hudson Valley
Region provides services for residents of the following counties: Dutchess,
Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester.
Visits from Trained Peer Mentors
WILC’s MFP Project will utilize a MFP network of
trained Peer Mentors to contact select nursing home residents. These Peer
Mentors will be retired businessmen/women, persons with disabilities that WILC
personnel have successfully transitioned out of nursing homes, and family
members of persons that we have successfully transitioned out of nursing homes.
These individuals will be from various cultural/linguistic backgrounds and will
be familiar with, and located throughout, the 7 counties of our Region.
The trained Peer Mentors will schedule and conduct
informal visits with the nursing home residents, their families and/or legal
guardians to introduce the MFP Project. During these visits, which can be
either on an individual basis or in a group setting, the Peer Mentors will
discuss the MFP Project, the concept of home and community-based long-term care
services, and personal experiences living in the community. Information will be
presented in an objective, culturally appropriate, relaxed manner, so as not to
influence any decisions made by the nursing home residents. When possible,
information will be presented in the language in which the residents feel most
comfortable conversing.
At the conclusion of the visits, if the
residents/guardians want to learn more about specific community options
available to them or if they want to explore transitioning out of the nursing
home, their name will be given to a MFP Project Outreach Specialist who will
follow up on their request.
Visits from Outreach Specialists
WILC’s MFP Project Outreach Specialists are
knowledgeable about the available home and community-based services in each of
the counties we serve. They will speak to residents, families and/or legal
guardians about obtainable community-based services that may be viable
alternatives to remaining in the nursing home. The information will be
presented in an objective manner so as not to influence any decisions made by
the residents. Some examples of community-based services include:
- Transportation - Social and Medical
- Housing Options and Programs
- Programs to make housing accessible
- Home Care Options
- Day Programs - Social and Medical
- Medicaid Programs - Physician, OT, PT, Speech
Services
- Medicaid Waiver Programs - Nursing Home Transition
and Diversion, Traumatic Brain Injury, Long Term Care (Lombardi)
- Pharmaceutical/Drug Programs including Medicare
Part D and EPIC
- Department of Social Service Programs - Public
Assistance, Food Stamps, Home Heating Assistance, PERS (Personal Emergency
Response System)
- Office for the Aging Programs - Congregate and Home
Delivered Meals, Financial Counseling, Recreation Programs
- New York Connects and TRAID
- Vocational Rehabilitation Programs
What Can Nursing Home Staff Expect from the MFP
Project?
Nursing home staff can expect to:
- Be treated with respect by MFP Project personnel
- Be provided with accurate information regarding the
MFP Project and available community-based programs and services
- Have identified residents contacted and provided
information on the MFP Project
- Have some residents express their desire to move to
community-based settings with appropriate community-based services and supports
- Be provided with technical assistance by MFP
Project personnel
Technical Assistance to Nursing Homes
WILC’s MFP Project Outreach Specialists are
available to provide technical assistance to nursing home staff, such as Social
Workers and/or Discharge Planners, on community-based programs and services in
each county.
Outreach Specialists can also participate in resident
discharge planning, when requested.
If you have any questions, please call MFP staff at
845-228-7457 (Voice - PILS), 914-682-3926 (Voice - WILC), 866-933-5390 (VP/TTY)
or E-mail: jcortez@wilc.org
This
document was developed under grant CFDA 93.791 from the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services.
However,
these contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services and you should not assume endorsement by the
federal government. |
