HCBS Training

Important Terms

Key Terms

Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS)

Federal, state, local, and tribal governments develop and finance Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) to help ensure people across the lifespan can get long-term supports and services in their homes and communities instead of within institutional settings if that is their choice. These services help people live their lives as independently as possible. Examples of services include: medication management support, assistance in preparing meals and shopping in the community, or receiving access to evidence-based practices that help people achieve the highest quality of life possible.

Person-Centered Practice

There are three ways to think about being person-centered.

Person-Centered Strategies that everyone can use to help people learn about what brings joy to someone and makes life worth living. These tools are also used to find out what is important to a person as well as understanding their needs for health, safety, and well-being. 
Person-Centered Planning  is a process that is used to create a plan for a positive and meaningful life for someone by building on his or her interests and strengths.  There are different methods that can be used to help a person create their dreams for a better future. 
Person-Centered Organization Changes address how services and supports are planned and delivered. Changes that are made include fixing policies, adding ongoing opportunities for learning, and building community supports. Services for people across the lifespan are changed in ways that improve quality of life outcomes.

Person-Centered Thinking

Person-centered Thinking is a philosophy or a way of thinking that uses a set of value-based skills to support people to live their best lives, by their definition. For example, Person-Centered Thinking encourages people to explore and build relationships with others. These tools are used to support people receiving HCBS, but they also help when interacting with all people.

Positive Support Practices

The term positive support refers to practices that are: a) person-centered, family-centered, student-centered, and community-centered, b) evidence-based with research studies that show how effective an approach is and who benefits from the practice, c) sensitive and respectful to the unique culture of each person involved, d) adapted and improved over time using data to guide use, and e) often implemented with other practices within complex everyday settings.

Quality of Life

This is a common term used to describe the standard of health and wellbeing as it is experienced by a person. Quality of life can be broken down into domains that are considered assessed as part of quality of life: emotional wellness, social interactions, work and employment, financial status, living environment, physical health, intellectual stimulation, and spiritual growth.

Strategic Planning

An improvement process used to set priorities, allocate resources, and improve the way an organization manages work involved in HCBS. A strategic planning process brings employees and other stakeholders together to create a common vision and goals for improving outcomes for people.

Tiered Model of Person-Centered and Positive Support Practices

A framework for using resources strategically by investing in universal strategies for all people in a home, work, or other setting and gradually increasing the time and intensity of supports based on the unique needs of each person. This model is applied to person-centered practices and other practices that improve quality of life.