Nursing Home Initiative
Ensuring the highest quality of life for adults with developmental disabilities is a priority for most public health and human service agencies, but many lack the resources to provide the coordinated care needed to accomplish that goal. The University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Commonwealth Medicine division created the Nursing Home Initiative to help public agencies provide coordinated supports to individuals residing in nursing facilities, to maintain their functioning abilities, increase their independence and improve their quality of life.
Using a person-centered approach, Nursing Home Initiative case managers determine the specialized services from which each individual will benefit most—whether day habilitation, employment opportunities, independent living skills or continuing education. We then work with multiple provider agencies, nursing facilities, guardians and families to arrange the supports needed, provide ongoing oversight and continue to advocate on the individual’s behalf.
Our highly skilled, hands-on case managers bring an expertise in working with people with developmental disabilities, including training in clinical social work, gerontology, rehabilitation counseling and occupational therapy. We draw upon this varied skill set, as well as the clinical resources of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, to develop creative, personalized service plans for each individual in the program.
The Nursing Home Initiative works with other Commonwealth Medicine programs to help public agencies receive maximum reimbursement for these services, and explore collaborative opportunities for research of this population to further improve services.