Minnesota’s Long-Term Care System Faces ‘Service Gaps,’ Study Finds

Any efforts the Minnesota Legislature makes to improve the state's long-term care system should address shortages in transportation services, caregiver support and assisted-living facilities, a report prepared for the state Department of Human Services found. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the study, a county-by-county analysis of "service gaps," was conducted to help the state Legislature make future funding decisions as it attempts to shift more state funds to home- and community-based services and reduce the number of nursing home beds. The report notes that there already are gaps in the community-based services seniors receive, and those gaps will worsen over time, particularly as the state's senior population is expected to increase from one-eighth to one-fourth of the population over the next 30 years. Urban and rural areas have similar problems, including transportatio and worker shortages and aging volunteers. Urban areas have more housing options and senior programs than do rural areas, but the services offered there are "fragmented." Further, in comparison to rural areas, urban areas have a need for more "specialized" care for minority seniors and require more housing for seniors who are self-sufficient. Rural areas have more transportation problems and typically do not have as many assisted-living facilities as do urban areas. In conclusion, the report says that "far more" financial assistance is needed to increase the number of seniors receiving care at home. LaRhae Knatterud, a policy analyst for the Department of Human Services and the study's main author, said, "There's a great deal of enthusiasm in Minnesota about the opportunity we have to change the long-term care system and really improve lives for older Minnesotans." She added that the report "helps establish a baseline so that in coming years we can measure how well we're accomplishing that" (Wolfe, Minneapolis Star Tribune, 3/15).