The future of participant direction in aging services

There are many challenges to the future of participant and consumer direction in aging services, but there is reason for hope-embodied in California-based programming and in social workers embracing this self-direction concept. While federal agencies have made significant investments in the development and expansion of participant direction, this needs to continue if its full potential is to be realized in long-term services and supports. Specifically the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and state Medicaid programs can identify best practices in participant-directed program design, operation, and evaluation to guide the further development of these programs.