Microlearning — a training practice that includes short lessons that people can take at their convenience — is perfect for those who don’t sit at desks all day, such as direct services professionals (DSPs). The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) is developing free, online microlessons for DSPs about using motivational interviewing to provide person-centered services.

What if your state offered services that would let you stay in your home instead of moving to a nursing facility, but you had to wait for months or even years to receive them? A new survey by KFF, a leading health policy organization in the United States, found that more than 700,000

people are on waiting lists for Medicaid-provided HCBS.

Allison Shapiro, OT, MPH, has worked as an occupational therapist for more than 25 years. But when COVID-19 hit, like many others, she paused to reflect on her career and goals. She now works on a project in the Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research to improve person-centered home and community-based services.

Identifying Needs and Support Services for Family Caregivers of Older Community-Based Family Members: Mixed-Method Research Findings. Wilson D, Heron J, Banamwana G. Journal of Applied Gerontology. January 2025.

Service Utilization and Consumer-Reported Unmet Needs in Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services for Older Adults. Shippee TP, Bucy TI, Parikh RR, Wolf JM, Shewmaker P, Mulcahy JF, Skarphol T, Giordano S, Isvan N, Jutkowitz E. Journal of Aging & Social Policy. December 2024.

Increasing expenditures on home- and community-based services: Do home care workers benefit? Miller KEM, Coe NB, Kreider AR, Hoffman A, Rhode K, Gonalons-Pons P. Health Services Research. October 2024.

Home- and Community-Based Services: A Comparison of Brain Injury Waivers Across the United States. Bates ED, Redmond EM. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation. October 2024.



Prevalence of food and housing insecurity among direct support professionals in New York. Cohen J, van der Meulen Rodgers Y. Disability and Health Journal. December 2024. 

HCBS Quality Matters newsletter is produced by the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Home and Community-Based Services in the Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research, and is supported by a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant 90RTGE0004). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL) in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHSS). The contents of this newsletter do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL or DHSS.

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