AASD and DSD eList announcement

Date: Sept. 13, 2022
To: Lead agencies and other interested parties
From: DHS Aging and Adult Services and Disability Services divisions
Purpose: To share information for improving access to technology for older adults and people with disabilities
Contact: DSD Contact Form

Tips for preventing assistive technology abandonment

Throughout 2022, DHS and its community partners will work together to make assistive technology (AT) available to more people with disabilities and older adults. We will take several actions to support this initiative, including sharing information and resources with lead agencies. In July we shared resources for Removing language as a barrier to assistive technology. Today we share tips for preventing technology abandonment.

Finding the right tool for the person and what it means to be “cost effective”

Formal AT assessments are not required to authorize support technology, but the person should have an opportunity to test out a piece of equipment before purchasing the device. The STAR Program is an excellent resource for this. It is important to know ahead of time if the technology will work for the person in the setting(s) it is needed for.

Waiver policy states that selected equipment must be “cost effective.” Sometimes, people equate that to mean the cheapest or least expensive, but that is not what it means. The key to something being cost effective is that it provides good value for the amount of money paid.

Basically, is the item effective and productive in relation to its cost? Is it practical and worthwhile? If someone has previous experience working with a specific type of AT or has had an AT assessment, and it is determined that a specific type of technology is recommended, that is a substantial value.

Changing a recommended product to a “similar” less expensive product is not always going to work for people. That, most often, is when we see unused products sitting in cupboards and closets. The most expensive pieces of AT are those not being used because they were not what was identified as the best option to meet the person’s needs.

How to support use of technology with high staff turnover

Workforce shortages can sometimes contribute to technology abandonment when the person needs support to use their device. To help prevent this, lead agencies can:

· Plan ahead to have a technology expert provide ongoing support with devices as needed for staff turnover. In these cases, the lead agency can authorize specialist services to cover any potential costs associated with this ongoing support (for more information, review CBSM – Specialist services).

· Invite direct care staff to planning meetings to find out what’s working and not working about the person’s support technology.

· Invite direct care staff to help develop plain language written or video instructions for other staff, and include a reference to those instructions in the person’s support plan.

· Document in service plans what has been tried, what works, what doesn’t work and why so new staff understand the person’s past experiences with technology.

· Document in service plans where to find technology assessments so new staff can review.

Questions

We will continue to share additional information about AT each month. To get more information or ask questions, use the DSD Contact Form.

Previous eList announcements

AASD LEAD AGENCY ARCHIVE | DSD LEAD AGENCY ARCHIVE | DSD STAKEHOLDER ARCHIVE