Quality and Cost of Long-term Care Settings in Illinois

Transitioning residents out of long-term care (LTC) institutions and back into the community has been shown to reduce Medicaid expenditure and improve quality of life for recipients of care. This research was conducted to build upon the findings of previous studies by contrasting components of cost and quality of life between nursing homes and home and community-based care settings (HCBC). Through the PACE Center for Independent Living in Urbana, Illinois, three consumers from the Money Follows the Person (MFP) program were recruited for this study. Each participant completed the 2006 AARP New York Long-Term Care Survey, the Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL) -8D Questionnaire, and a phone interview. Thematic analysis was utilized to identify theme saturation in the participants? responses from both sets of questionnaires and the interviews. The results of this study were consistent with previous research. The participants? responses on questionnaires and in the interview showed that the benefits of transitioning nursing home residents into HCBC include lower costs and an overall higher quality of life for those receiving care.