Remote and In-Home Adult Daily Living Services Available

In response to the ongoing COVID public health emergency’s impact on Adult Daily Living Services, the Pennsylvania Office of Long-Term Living in the Department of Human Services (OLTL) is now allowing some new daily living in-home services to be offered to Community HealthChoices (CHC) waiver and OBRA waiver participants.  OLTL received federal approval for this approach through an Appendix K waiver and issued guidance in January 2021.   

The adult daily living services that can be provided in the home or remotely include remote socialization and therapeutic activities, monitoring and wellness checks, nursing services, and meal or food delivery.  Prior to COVID, many neighborhood-based adult daily living service centers provided meals that attendees enjoyed because they were culturally appropriate for the clientele.  Since COVID, and the closure of most adult day centers, former adult day center attendees have complained about the one-size-fits-all nature of home-delivered meals that do not take into account the tastes and culture of the meal recipients.  It is not only culturally insensitive to deliver meals that are not appealing; people are less likely to eat them and therefore their nutritional needs may not be met.  PHLP is particularly interested in seeing adult daily living providers offering, and CHC-MCOs approving, meal delivery.  Please contact PHLP’s Helpline at 1-800-274-3258 (or email staff@phlp.org) with any questions or if you need legal assistance obtaining these services.