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STATE LEGISLATION & POLICY
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1. California expands website with info on long-term care options
2. Florida report on the state's older population
3. Maryland Medicaid waiver provides respite, other services
4. Washington updates caregiver kit
FEDERAL LEGISLATION & POLICY
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5. FY 2005 funding for NFCSP approved
6. Senator Craig to reintroduce tax relief for family caregivers
RESEARCH & REPORTS
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7. FCA's National Center on Caregiving releases landmark 50-state study
8. FCA's National Center on Caregiving releases consumer direction policy brief
9. "Older Americans: Key Indicators of Well-Being"
10. CDC releases "The State of Aging and Health in America 2004"
11. Report on young carers in the UK
JOURNAL ARTICLES
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12. "Family caregivers in palliative care"
13. Costs of informal caregiving and formal services
CONFERENCES & TRAININGS
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14. Generations United conference
FUNDING, MEDIA & MISCELLANEOUS
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15. "Always on Call: When Illness Turns Families Into Caregivers"
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STATE LEGISLATION & POLICY
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1. California expands website with info on long-term care options
The California Nursing Home Search website has expanded to offer families and caregivers a resource to make a range of long-term care decisions. The site provides detailed information on 834 home health agencies and 172 licensed hospice programs in addition to quality information on the state's 1,400 nursing homes. The site also features new tools and resources to help consumers evaluate the level of long-term care that is needed, find providers, compare quality, and manage important financial, legal, and end-of-life issues. It also includes information on alternative long-term care options. View:
http://calnhs.org/
2. Florida report on the state's older population
The Florida Department of Elder Affairs has made available "Assessing the Needs of Elder Floridians, 2004." In addition to the needs assessment, the report includes detailed county demographic data. The report notes that almost a quarter (23%) of the state's residents are family caregivers and that for caregivers living in poverty areas, financial assistance is the most highly desired service. Access:
http://elderaffairs.state.fl.us/doea/english/Stats/DOCS/AssessNeedsP1.pdf
3. Maryland Medicaid waiver provides respite, other services
The state of Maryland will implement a new Medicaid waiver with the goal of making it easier for individuals with disabilities to remain in their own homes by giving them greater control over an array of services. The "New Directions" waiver will provide services including respite care, supported employment, personal support, transportation, environmental accessibility adaptations, family and individual support services and assistive technology and adaptive equipment. Participating individuals will be able to select and direct personal assistants and use a portion of their individual budget for non-traditional goods and services. More info:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20041108.html
4. Washington updates caregiver kit
Washington's Aging and Disability Services Administration has updated their family caregiver kit. The kit includes a range of information aimed to provide practical skills that the state's family caregivers can use as they care for a loved one. The kits are provided free of charge. Additional details:
http://www.adsa.dshs.wa.gov/topics/caregiving/caregiving.htm
FEDERAL LEGISLATION & POLICY
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5. FY 2005 funding for NFCSP approved
As part of an omnibus funding bill, spending for the National Family Caregiver Support Program has been approved. The NFCSP will receive $157 million for fiscal year 2005, an increase of $4.3 million over prior year funding. More info:
http://appropriations.senate.gov/releases/record.cfm?id=228187
6. Senator Craig to reintroduce tax relief for family caregivers
The Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging announced that he plans to reintroduce The Senior Eldercare Relief and Empowerment Act (SECURE Act) during the next session of Congress. The bill is designed to provide a 50 percent tax credit to families who care for a senior citizen with long-term care needs. According to Senator Craig, "The SECURE Act is particularly important to women," Craig said. "Approximately 75 percent of those providing care to older family members and friends are female, and nearly one out of every four households (23 percent or 22.4 million households) is involved in caregiving to those 50 or older. With a population growing older, some experts predict that within three years, the number of caregiving households serving those 50 years old and older in the United States could double, reaching an estimated 39 million homes." More info:
http://tinyurl.com/4s4zx
RESEARCH & REPORTS
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7. FCA's National Center on Caregiving releases landmark 50-state study
The National Center on Caregiving (NCC) at Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA), in collaboration with the National Conference of State Legislatures, has released The State of the States in Family Caregiver Support: A 50-State Study. The report--the culmination of a two-year project--is the first to examine publicly funded caregiver support programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia since the passage of the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) in 2000. It highlights key findings, offers state-by-state profiles, pinpoints challenges, and identifies issues for the future. Utilizing data from the study, the NCC has also launched the online searchable resource, Caregiving Across the States. Caregiving Across the States allows users to search for information about caregiver support programs and services in each of the 50 states, including links to relevant state agencies and programs.
Download the State of the States in Family Caregiver Support: A 50 State Study:
http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=1220
Visit Caregiving Across the States:
http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=1274
8. FCA's National Center on Caregiving releases consumer direction policy brief
"Consumer-Directed Home Care: Effects on Family Caregivers" is the latest in a series of policy briefs published by FCA's National Center on Caregiving. Authored by Pamela Doty, the brief describes available opportunities for consumer direction of care in public programs and private insurance plans, including opportunities for family caregivers to take on roles as representative decision-makers and paid caregivers. The brief also addresses the role of family caregivers in consumer direction. Download:
http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=1193
9. "Older Americans: Key Indicators of Well-Being"
The Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics has released this report which includes a range of information about older Americans. The Federal Interagency Forum is comprised of 12 federal departments working together to collect data for the report. Caregiving issues are mentioned in sections on living arrangements and marital status. Download:
http://www.agingstats.gov./chartbook2004/default.htm
10. CDC releases "The State of Aging and Health in America 2004"
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has made available this national and state-based report on key health indicators for older adults. The report notes that one of the challenges in managing lifespan increases and chronic disease among older people is the increasing number of family caregivers. Also included are other caregiving-related statistics, such as the estimated cost of family caregiving and how caregiving impacts physical health. Read:
http://www.cdc.gov/aging/
11. Report on young carers in the UK
"Young Carers in the UK: The 2004 Report" is the third UK survey of "young carers" (children who are unpaid caregivers) who are being supported by specialist young carers projects across the UK. Based on data for more than 6,000 young carers, the report provides a statistical profile of what these young carers do in terms of their caring roles and responsibilities, and of the care needs of the people for whom they provide care. Download:
http://tinyurl.com/5hxn9
JOURNAL ARTICLES
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12. "Family caregivers in palliative care"
The November 2004 edition of the Journal of Clinics in Geriatric Medicine includes "Family caregivers in palliative care." According to the authors, "this article describes family caregivers and the costs of care and introduces the stress process model to highlight essential caregiving experiences and needs in the context of palliative care. Common interventions used to support caregivers are highlighted, and the bereavement experience among caregivers is discussed." More info:
http://www.geriatric.theclinics.com/article/PIIS0749069004000643/abstract
13. Costs of informal caregiving and formal services
The September/October 2004 edition of the American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias includes "Variation in cost of informal caregiving and formal-service use for people with Alzheimer's disease." According to the authors, "this study used a geographically diverse sample to estimate the total cost of informal care and formal services for community-residing Alzheimer's disease (AD) care recipients. Baseline data were used for 1200 family caregivers from the Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health (REACH) study, a multisite intervention trial." More info:
http://www.pnpco.com/pn02000.html
CONFERENCES & TRAININGS
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14. Generations United conference
Generations United will hold their 13th annual conference from September 13 -17, 2005 in Washington, DC. The Call for Sessions will be posted on the website shortly. More info:
http://www.gu.org
FUNDING, MEDIA & MISCELLANEOUS
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15. "Always on Call: When Illness Turns Families Into Caregivers"
Edited by Carole Levine of the United Hospital Fund, the 2nd edition of "Always on Call: When Illness Turns Families Into Caregivers" includes chapters on caregiving and the workplace, clinician-family conflicts, as well as a new section on innovative caregiving programs. Lynn Friss Feinberg from FCA's National Center on Caregiving authored a chapter on new federal and state policy initiatives in family caregiving. To order:
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/vupress
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For questions or further information about Family Caregiver Alliance's National Center on Caregiving, contact us at [email protected].
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Caregiving PolicyDigest is a publication of the National Center on Caregiving, a program of Family Caregiver Alliance.
©2004 Family Caregiver Alliance
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