Aging in place in your state: Idaho
Idaho’s nickname—no, it’s not “Famous Potatoes”—is the Gem State. This nickname, back in Idaho’s territorial days, was at first a bit of hype meant to attract settlers, investment, and statehood. But it’s turned out to be pretty accurate, as nearly 250 different kinds of minerals have been found in Idaho.
And speaking of gems, the state’s web site is laid out to be user-friendly, easy to navigate, and efficient, so that residents can fairly quickly find what they’re looking for. And if a resident were to search for, say, ways to get help with home modifications to help them continue to live independently, here’s some of what they’d find.
Getting home
Idaho residents who currently live in an institutional setting but wish to return to “home- and community-based living” can get help for that effort through Idaho Home Choice, which is the state’s version of programs known generally as Money Follows the Person.
Idaho Home Choice aims to increase the use of home and community-based services (HCBS) and decrease the use of services based in institutions; eliminate barriers to flexible use of Medicaid funds in law, Medicaid plans, or state budgets; strengthen the position of HCBS programs within Medicaid over the long-term; and ensure high quality and “continuous quality improvement” of HCBS programs.
Successful applicants to the program are Idaho residents who have lived at least 60 consecutive days in an institutional facility, are Medicaid eligible, qualify for Medicaid waiver programs, and move to a “qualified residence.” IHC services include transition managers to help with the relocation process and up to $2,000 to help pay for furniture, household goods and supplies, moving expenses, and/or utility and security deposits. The program also helps recipients access waiver benefits and services—including home modifications—and Medicaid state plan benefits.
Living independently
Like many other states, Idaho has a Medicaid HCBS waiver program that helps qualifying Idahoans live independently despite advanced age, disabilities, or poverty. The state’s entire Medicaid for Elderly or Adults with Disabilities waiver program operates to “get the right care at the right place at the right cost with the right outcomes.”
Beneficiaries of the program can receive respite and adult day care services, home-delivered meals and transportation, skilled nursing, supported employment, specialized medical equipment and personal emergency response systems, and “environmental accessibility adaptations,” specifically mentioning such possible necessities as grab bars, ramps, and the like. Recipients have a measure of self-direction in choosing service providers and the services they need.
To qualify, applicants must be Idaho residents who are either elderly (age 65 or older) and/or disabled and meet income and asset limits. Monthly income must be no higher than $847 for a single person (or $1,211 for a couple), and assets must not exceed $2,000 for individuals, or $3,000 for couples.
Reources that may be counted as income or assets can include Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments, bank accounts and investments plus income from the same, retirement funds and pensions, payments from trusts and similar devices, wages or freelance payments, cash, property, CDs, stocks, bonds, shares in mutual funds, promissory notes, contracts, secondary vehicles, real estate beyond a primary home, and the like. However, some resources are exempt: a primary home and vehicle, household goods and personal effects, wedding rings, the cash value of life insurance up to $1,500, burial plots, and up to $1,500 set aside for a person’s funeral expenses.
Staying fit
Idaho has a unique offering for people trying to age in place at home: the Fit & Fall Proof program. FFP was developed in Idaho in 2004 to promote fall prevention in the state through fitness. Local volunteer leaders receive training to teach classes in senior and community centers, churches, libraries, and hospitals, as well as online. A full session of Fit & Fall Proof lasts 10 weeks.
Workouts that are part of Fit & Fall Proof include sessions in mobility and balance, balance and strength, exercise bands, exercise ball work, tai chi, and warmups and cool downs. The goal is to combat the possibility of falls through physical fitness, keeping Aging Idahoans “self-sufficient, healthy, and independent in their own homes.”
Data shows that 7 in 10 people who have participated in FFP report improvements in their ability to perform the activities of daily living and other physical functioning, while 3 in 4 participants report increased energy and improved mental health.
In addition to investing in a house that’s safe and well equipped, investing in physical fitness can have huge positive payoffs, as well.
