Clients of an in-home assistance program are happy with its benefits, a study shows.

Five days a week, Margie Goodell has an aide from Ability Resources help with housekeeping and some personal care in her apartment.

In 2003, Goodell was considering moving into nursing care because of her deteriorating health. She requires oxygen and has arthritis, diabetes and a hereditary eye disease that has led to blindness.

Instead, she chose to participate in the ADvantage Waiver program, which allows her to stay in her home with assistance.

"I don't think I'd be happy in a nursing home and feel blessed I have these services," Goodell, 73, said. "It has caused me to have a better outlook on life. I feel I have everything I need to live on my own, and I'm amazed at the help I have."

A recent scientific study by Oklahoma State University researchers evaluated how satisfied clients are with the services provided through the ADvantage program, which contracts with about 420 providers statewide.

The study found that consumers "overwhelmingly" reported benefits to their quality of life and quality of care from the program.

Recommendations for improvement include promoting more empowerment for consumers, consider- ing providing a confidential or anonymous review of providers, and ensuring that all consumers know the toll-free telephone number for the Tulsa-based Long Term Care Authority, which administers the program.

Deborah Karns, the authority's CEO, said: "Nothing jumped out as a surprise to me, because we take the pulse of the program all the time. It was more of a confirmation. We are going to use this tool in the future.

"All of these recommendations we can address with expending little resources," she said. "These are procedural and policy issues we can take care of within the provider community. We want to see where we can enhance and improve what we are doing."

The $88,000 study was funded through a federal grant. A significant part of the work was designing a model to collect this type of data, and the authority will keep using the model.

Researchers took a representative sample of clients and conducted in-person and telephone interviews beginning in the spring of 2006.

Study author and lead researcher Whitney Brosi recommended that future surveys include a depression scale for consumers and one to solicit information from family members.

Karns said a different survey would be more appropriate for relatives.

"It's always good to have more information," she said. "In reality, to get at that information, we would need to ask a different set of questions and train interviewers differently."

ADvantage providers and the authority can make mental-health referrals for depression, Karns said.

"We are aware it exists," she said. "As a society, we don't deal that well with depression. But we do have mental-health services available."

The ADvantage Waiver program receives federal Medicaid and state funds.

Department of Human Services spokeswoman Mary Leaver said DHS pays the authority $5 million to administer the program through a contract extension until March 31.

The agencies are negotiating for a contract to begin April 1.

"We are committed to the program," Leaver said. "More and more people each day are taking advantage of the program, and we definitely want to see it grow."

Ginnie Graham 581-8376
ginnie.graham@tulsaworld.com

COST SAVINGS

Expected Medicaid-related costs for fiscal year 2008:

$411 million for 19,288 Oklahoma nursing-home patients

$198 million for 23,749 ADvantage Waiver participants