Hard-to-Reach Populations

Providing SMP services to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries requires an understanding of and sensitivity to the needs of older adults; however, needs related culture, ethnicity, literacy-level and primary language must also be considered.  In addition, residing in a remote area, being homebound, having a disability, lacking access to transportation services or having a low income may limit Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries' access to SMP services.  SMPs are asked to overcome barriers and find ways to serve these "hard to reach" populations.  Expectations from the Administration on Aging include: 

• Researching the demographics of the population to be served, and identifying barriers to program access
• Developing outreach strategies specifically designed to overcome these barriers and reach the target population, utilizing SMP Integration strategies, as appropriate
• Identifying a specific strategy for recruiting, training and maintaining a pool of  SMP volunteers, including seniors with language and other skills and abilities to help reach minority communities
• Developing a training plan for staff and volunteers sufficient to conduct effective group and one-on-one educational efforts, respond to inquiries and make necessary referrals for action, tailored for the target populations and achieving program objectives

Cultural, minority or ethnic community centers are good resources to help with this effort. Home delivered meal programs, Area Agencies on Aging and other local organizations who serve older adults or Medicaid beneficiaries can also be of great assistance in reaching people who don't come to SMP presentations and other events.  AoA-funded  SMP Integration Grantees develop innovative outreach strategies for replication by SMPs nationwide.

For More Information

• Asian Pacific Resource Center includes resources in English, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese.
• Handout: Working Effectively with Interpreters
• National Center for Frontier Communities is the only national organization dedicated to the smallest and most geographically isolated communities in the United States - the Frontier.
• National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA) is a nonprofit organization that advocates on behalf of Hispanic older adults.
• National Hispanic SMP is a pilot program of the National Hispanic Council on Aging, funded by the Administration on Aging (AoA) and designed to develop a model that would close the gap in Medicare fraud education between Hispanic older adults and mainstream populations.
• Rural Assistance Center. A product of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Rural Initiative, the Rural Assistance Center (RAC) helps rural communities and other rural stakeholders access the full range of available programs, funding and research that can enable them to provide quality health and human services to rural residents.

AOA Diversity Toolkit (Adobe PDF File)
In Their Shoes: Knowing the immigrant experience makes SMPs better able to serve (Adobe PDF File)
National Hispanic SMP Successful Strategies (Adobe PDF File)
Reaching out to American Indians/Native Americans (Adobe PDF File)