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The National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services (NRCPDS), housed at the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, has been awarded a $2.25-million grant by the U.S. Administration on Aging of the Department of Health and Human Services, according to an announcement from HHS Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greenlee.
The grant will support a three-year project, titled Accelerating Participant Direction Philosophy and Models in the Aging Network, which will identify essential skills necessary in job occupations that provide assistance to seniors and persons with disabilities in finding and obtaining home- and community-based services so they can remain in their homes and communities. These skills should enhance the ability of providers to ensure choice and control are in the hands of the consumer.
“This grant is an investment that will help strengthen our commitment toward providing home- and community-based services to individuals with disabilities and seniors that are based on both the needs and the preferences of the consumer,” said Greenlee. “It is only fitting that we announce on the 21st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act our continued efforts to empower individuals and enhance the delivery of home- and community-based services.”
“We look forward to continuing our work with the aging network to develop the staff competencies and the training approach so that program participants can shape the supports and services that best fit their unique needs,” said Boston College Graduate School of Social Work Professor Kevin Mahoney, who directs the NRCPDS.
The grant will allow the Administration on Aging and NRCPDS to continue working together to increase consumer-directed options in the network. Products over the next three years will include workforce competencies by job category, assessment tools, and an extensive resource training guide.
The NRCPDS is the only national resource that assists states, agencies and organizations in offering participant-directed services to people with disabilities. It provides national leadership, technical assistance, training, education and research to secure participant-directed options in all home- and community-based services and ultimately improve the lives of people of all ages with disabilities.