|
STATE LEGISLATION & POLICY
******************************************
1. Hawaii holds hearings on caregiving legislation
2. Washington paid family leave initiative
FEDERAL LEGISLATION & POLICY
*******************************************
3. Caregiver legislation introduced in the U.S. House
RESEARCH & REPORTS
*******************************************
4. FCA's NCC releases monograph on caregiver education programs
5. End-of-life report addresses family caregiving
6. New research on family illness and bankruptcy
JOURNAL ARTICLES
*******************************************
7. Cancer caregivers online
8. "Service preferences among family caregivers of the terminally ill"
CONFERENCES & TRAININGS
*******************************************
9. Alzheimer's Association Dementia Care conference
10. National Respite and Crisis Care conference
FUNDING, MEDIA & MISCELLANEOUS
*******************************************
11. "Valuable documents at your fingertips"
12. Article on Native American caregivers
===============================================================
STATE LEGISLATION & POLICY
*******************************************
1. Hawaii holds hearings on caregiving legislation
The Hawaii legislature will hold hearings on two bills of interest to the state's family caregivers. S.B. No. 560 would appropriate funds to the Executive Office on Aging for the expansion of elder programs and services, including caregiver support services. H.B. No. 1119 would create a Long-term Care Resource Program Initiative at Kapiolani Community College to expand the curriculum for home and community-based long-term care workers, provide training and education for family caregivers and promote active aging. More info:
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/
2. Washington paid family leave initiative
The Family Leave Coalition in Washington has introduced legislation to establish five weeks of paid family and medical leave via a state-administered insurance fund. The measure (H.B. 1173/S.B. 5069 ) provides partial wage replacement - up to $250 per week - when workers must take leave to: care for a seriously ill child, spouse, domestic partner, parent or parent-in-law; care for a newborn or newly placed adoptive or foster child; or recover from their own serious medical condition. Details:
http://www.eoionline.org/Update/July2004.htm#FamilyLeave
FEDERAL LEGISLATION & POLICY
*******************************************
3. Caregiver legislation introduced in the U.S. House
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald (D-CA) has sponsored the Family Caregiver Security Act of 2005 (H.R. 175). The bill would allow family caregivers to be paid providers of home health or personal care assistant services under the Medicare program. Congresswoman Millender-McDonald also introduced House Concurrent Resolution 8 which expresses support for ensuring that the National Family Caregiver Support Program is fully funded. Details:
http://thomas.loc.gov/
RESEARCH & REPORTS
*******************************************
4. FCA's NCC releases monograph on caregiver education programs
The National Center on Caregiving (NCC) at Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) has made available "Caregiver Education and Support Programs: Best Practice Models." The publication profiles five widely used caregiver education and support programs that have empirical evidence to support their effectiveness. Also described are: how to select a program, monitor its implementation, and recruit participants. Download:
http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=1314
5. End-of-life report addresses family caregiving
The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ) has made available "End-of-Life Care and Outcomes." Included in the report is evidence to support the effectiveness of interventions to improve satisfaction, ameliorate cancer pain, relieve depression in cancer patients and provide non-pharmacologic interventions for behavioral problems in dementia. The authors find that "more evidence is needed to support management of non-cancer pain and symptoms, provide effective advance care planning, understand and address the needs of informal caregivers, and understand disparities by gender, race/ethnicity, and having a non-cancer, life-limiting disease." More information:
http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/epcsums/eolsum.htm#Availability
6. New research on family illness and bankruptcy
A new study by Harvard Medical School researchers finds that many American families may be vulnerable to bankruptcy due to illness. "Illness and Injury as Contributors to Bankruptcy" appears in a Health Affairs web exclusive. According to the authors, "illness often leads to financial catastrophe through loss of income, as well as high medical bills. Hence, disability insurance and paid sick leave are also critical to financial survival of a serious illness . . . .Additionally, improved programs are needed to replace breadwinners' incomes when they are disabled or must care for a loved one." View:
http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.w5.63/DC1
JOURNAL ARTICLES
*******************************************
7. Cancer caregivers online
The January/February 2005 edition of CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing includes "Cancer Caregivers Online: Hope, Emotional Roller Coaster, and Physical/Emotional/ Psychological Responses." According to the authors, "support for informal caregivers has been shown to increase hope and decrease psychosocial morbidity. The Internet is a readily available means of support for cancer caregivers, however little research on online support for informal caregivers of cancer patients exists. Descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis were used to evaluate messages posted over a 2-month period on an online cancer caregiver listserv." Abstract:
http://www.cinjournal.com
8. "Service preferences among family caregivers of the terminally ill"
The February 2005 edition of the Journal of Palliative Medicine includes this article addressing services that best sustain family caregivers of persons with terminal illness. Researchers found that the five most frequently reported services that family caregivers would have liked to have received or have had more available include: housekeeping; caregiver respite; in-home nursing care; personal support workers; and self-help/support groups. View abstract:
http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089%2Fjpm.2005.8.69?cookieSet=1
CONFERENCES & TRAININGS
*******************************************
9. Alzheimer's Association Dementia Care conference
The 13th annual Dementia Care conference will be held from July 26 - 29, 2005 in Chicago. More than 800 professionals will come together to explore issues related to dementia care. The conference will emphasize management, training and care for nursing home and assisted living staff, and will dedicate an entire track to early stage Alzheimer's care. Also included will be a focus on the role of family members, including training and education of family caregivers, in the care of a loved one with Alzheimer's disease. Info:
http://www.alz.org/careconference/05/overview.asp
10. National Respite and Crisis Care conference
The National Respite and Crisis Care conference will be held September 14 - 16, 2005 in Oklahoma City. The conference will emphasize practical matters such as building and sustaining local coalitions, program evaluation, customer satisfaction and innovative ideas to support national objectives. Session topic areas will include family support. The call for presentations is open until April 15, 2005. Details:
http://www.archrespite.org/CALLFORPRESENTATIONS.pdf
FUNDING, MEDIA & MISCELLANEOUS
*******************************************
11. "Valuable documents at your fingertips"
AARP has made available forms designed to help parents and adult children work together to locate important and/or valuable documents before a crisis occurs. The form provides space to include where documents are kept, important people to contact, insurance and medical information and final wishes. Download:
http://www.aarp.org/life/caregiving/Articles/a2005-01-19-documents.html
12. GrandDriver Program undergoing national expansion
The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators is planning a national expansion of its GranDriver education and awareness campaign in 2005. GrandDriver is a program that educates older adults, family members and the professional community on aging and driving. Its purpose is to keep older drivers on the road as safely as possible, for as long as possible. More information:
http://www.granddriver.info/
13. Article on Native American caregivers
The Web Weekly, a publication of Harvard Medical School, includes "Failing Elders Weigh Heavily on Reservation Families." The author, Ellen Rothman, discusses the complexities faced by many Native American families living on reservations and providing care to a loved one. "Rural reservation living introduces additional challenges to coping with failing elders. When daily life is so difficult, taking on the additional chores of an aging parent or grandparent can be overwhelming," Rothman concludes. Read:
http://webweekly.hms.harvard.edu/archive/2005/2_7/student_scene.html
===============================================================
For questions or further information about Family Caregiver Alliance's National Center on Caregiving, contact us at [email protected].
To subscribe or unsubscribe to Caregiving PolicyDigest, use the following link: http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=836
Or, contact Family Caregiver Alliance using our toll-free phone number: 800/445-8106
Your subscription information is used only for the purpose of improving this service and tailoring it to the needs of its audience. Information provided to us will not be shared with any other organization, agency, corporation, entity or third party.
Caregiving PolicyDigest is a publication of the National Center on Caregiving, a program of Family Caregiver Alliance.
©2005 Family Caregiver Alliance
180 Montgomery Street, Suite 1100, San Francisco, CA 94104
E-mail to a Friend
Printable Version
|
