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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released performance data about the quality of care in all Medicare-certified home health agencies in the United States. Health Compare includes information on nearly 7,000 Medicare-certified home health agencies nationwide. Eleven key quality measures are used to determine how well home health agencies help patients get back on their feet, including whether patients get better at walking, bathing themselves and taking their medications correctly by mouth. Find more information at the Home Health Compare resource on the Medicare website, www.medicare.gov, or (800) MEDICARE (633-4227).
New Resources from The National Institute on Aging’s Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center:
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched NIHSeniorHealth.gov, a new talking web site with formats and topics tailored to the needs of older people. The site features large print, short, easy-to-read segments and a “talking” function that allows users the option of listening to the text. Go to www.nihseniorhealth.gov to view the new site.
Family Friends is a new national organization which pairs older volunteers with families of children with disabilities, chronic illness, or other special needs. This project aims to utilize the experience and skill of elders to assist families caring for children with special needs. There are currently 43 projects throughout the country. To find out if there is a project near you, go to www.family-friends.org or call (202) 479-6672.
Beginning in January 2004, Californians may have seen a slight increase in State Disability Insurance Program (SDI) deduction from their paychecks. A portion of this new increase will be used to fund the only paid family leave law in the country. As of July, participants in SDI (which includes most working Californians, with the exception of some public employees) will be eligible to take up to six weeks a year of paid family leave benefits to care for a seriously ill family member such as a child, spouse, parent, domestic partner, or the birth, adoption or foster care placement of a new child. Claim forms will be available beginning in July from the Employment Development Department, www.edd.ca.gov, (800) 480-3287. For more information on paid family leave, eligibility requirements, and paid leave listserv and materials, visit www.paidfamilyleave.org.
The Gerontology Center of Boston University is offering a number of interactive online workshops for Continuing Professional Education in Eldercare this spring. Courses include End of Life Issues; Middle Aging and Eldercare; Psychology of Caregiving, and Living with Disabilities. Registration is open from March 29 to April 9, and the fee is $99 per workshop, or $79 per workshop for multiple registrations from the same organization. To register or for more details, contact Lauren E. Storck, [email protected] or [email protected], or see the Gerontology Center’s website at www.bu.edu/gerontology.
Conferences:
The Alzheimer’s Association Annual Public Policy Forum
March 20-23, 2004
Washington, DC
www.alz.org/AboutUs/Events/PPF.htm
National Bereavement Teleconference on Alzheimer’s Disease
Sponsored by The Hospice Foundation.
April 28, 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., EST www.hospicefoundation.org/teleconference/registration.htm
American Society on Aging/National Council on the Aging
Joint National Conference
April 14-17, 2004
San Francisco
www.agingconference.org
FCA staff are presenting at the following sessions. Please join us!
Meeting the Needs of Long-Distance Caregivers
Karen Kolb
Wednesday, April 14
10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Developing Internet Based Support for Caregivers in the US and Australia
Kathleen Kelly, Leah Eskenazi
Wednesday, April 14
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
State of the States in Family Caregiver Support
Lynn Friss Feinberg, Sandra Newman
Wednesday, April 14
4:30 p.m to 6:00 p.m.
Consumer Community Resource Information Databases: Best Practices from National and Statewide Systems
Kathleen Kelly
Thursday, April 15
10:30 a..m. to 12:00 p.m.
Cultural Competency: Promising Practices in Supports for Latino and LGBT Caregivers
Kathleen Kelly
Thursday, April 15
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Caregiving Services in the 50 States: Helping Caregivers Navigate the Rocky Road Ahead
Karen N. Kolb, Leslie Gray
Thursday, April 15
8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Family Caregiver Alliance Site Visit
Thursday, April 15
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Preregistration required
Translating Research Findings Into Practical Interventions for Family Caregiver/Care Recipient Dyads
Lynn Friss Feinberg
Thursday, April 15
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The Tip O'Neill School of Long-Term Care Policy
Moderator: Lynn Friss Feinberg
Thursday, April 15
4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Telling Your Story in the Media: Best Strategies for Working With the Press
Moderator: Bonnie Lawrence
Friday, April 16
4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Programs of National Significance Under the National Family Caregiver Support Program
Lynn Friss Feinberg
Saturday, April 17
10:00 a.m. to Noon
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