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STATE LEGISLATION & POLICY
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1. California caregiver tax credit legislation
2. Hawaii holds hearing on caregiving initiatives
3. Pennsylvania releases consumer direction report
4. Wisconsin to expand HCBS
FEDERAL LEGISLATION & POLICY
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5. 2006 budget proposes level funding for the NFCSP
RESEARCH & REPORTS
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6. Data profile on family caregivers
7. Women & Alzheimer's disease report
JOURNAL ARTICLES
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8. Service use among dementia caregivers
9. Gerontologist articles on caregiving
10. Women family caregivers and cardiovascular health
CONFERENCES & TRAININGS
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11. AASHA conference April 4 - 6, 2005
12. Join FCA staff & colleagues at ASA/NCOA conference sessions
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STATE LEGISLATION & POLICY
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1. California caregiver tax credit legislation
California Assemblymember Berg has introduced legislation (A.B. 298) to extend the state's caregiving tax credit. The legislation would extend the $500 credit, first authorized in 2000, to 2010. More info:
http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a01/press/a012005005.htm
2. Hawaii holds hearing on caregiving initiatives
The Hawaii legislature held a hearing on a bill (H.B. 1249) that would reimburse family caregivers who provide at-home care to qualified relatives. The initiative has a companion measure (S.B. 864) in the Senate. Also being considered is H.B. 1252, which makes it a state objective to recognize the importance of the contributions of family caregivers and to support, to the extent possible, the long-term care needs of the State's residents. Details:
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/site1/docs/getstatus2.asp?billno=HB1249
3. Pennsylvania releases consumer direction report
The Pennsylvania Department of Aging has made available "Consumer Direction Report." The publication reports the results of a project to assess the state's home and community-based services system approach to consumer choice and control and to identify opportunities for improvement. The report addresses the role of hiring family members within the range of consumer directed options available to consumers. Download:
http://www.aging.state.pa.us/aging/cwp/view.asp?a=296&Q=177215
4. Wisconsin to expand HCBS
In his recent budget proposal, Wisconsin's Governor has proposed to expand Medicaid-funded home and community-based services (HCBS) for the state's older population, among other target groups. In particular, Governor Doyle has recommended adding 1,440 slots to the Community Options and Community Integration Programs so that more consumers can choose home or community services instead of receiving care in a nursing home. The program offers, among other services, respite care to consumers. More info:
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/index.php?ntid=28426&ntpid=2
FEDERAL LEGISLATION & POLICY
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5. 2006 budget proposes level funding for the NFCSP
In his fiscal year 2006 budget request sent to Congress recently, President Bush has proposed level funding for the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) and other programs under the U.S. Administration on Aging. Under the budget, the NFCSP would receive $155.7 million, the Native American Caregiver Support Program $6.3 million, and the Alzheimer's Disease Demonstration Grants to States Program $11.8 million. More info:
http://www.aoa.gov/about/legbudg/current_budg/budget-request_table.pdf
RESEARCH & REPORTS
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6. Data profile on family caregivers
The Center on an Aging Society at Georgetown University has made available a data profile on informal caregivers of older persons, "A Decade of Informal Caregiving: Are today's caregivers different than informal caregivers a decade ago?" The report indicates that spouses and adult children continue to be the primary caregivers - the one who takes the responsibility for coordinating the care and often provides most of the care needed. Access:
http://ihcrp.georgetown.edu/agingsociety/pubhtml/caregiver1/caregiver1.html
7. Women & Alzheimer's disease report
The National Women's Health Resource Center recently released "Women & Alzheimer's Disease," produced in cooperation with the Alzheimer's Association. The report highlights the importance of a diagnosis, as well as information about symptoms, stages, treatment and prevention. The report also features interviews with experts who share why Alzheimer's is particularly relevant to women: the prevalence of the disease is higher in women because they live longer than men; women tend to be the primary family caregivers and often juggle work and childcare responsibilities at the same time; and the chronic stress of caregiving have serious affects on women's health, such as a weakened immune system and an increased risk for depression and hypertension. View:
http://www.alz.org/news/05q1/020105.asp
JOURNAL ARTICLES
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8. Service use among dementia caregivers
The March 2005 edition of the Western Journal of Nursing Online includes "Predictors of use of services among dementia caregivers." According to the authors, "caregivers of persons with dementia do not use community resources until late in the disease process, despite the fact that judicious use of community resources can delay nursing home admission. . . . Within this geographically diverse sample of caregivers, 64% did not use professional services, 79% did not use respite services, and 65% did not use other services. Being a spouse decreased the odds that the caregiver would use community resources. Resource use was also related to the care recipient's problems with activities of daily living and the increase in frequency of memory and behavioral problems." Abstract:
http://wjn.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/27/2/126
9. Gerontologist articles on caregiving
The February 2005 edition of The Gerontologist includes "The Effects of Duration of Caregiving on Institutionalization." The authors conclude that study results indicate the need to "refine targeting when interventions are administered early in the dementia caregiving process" Also included in the edition is "Ethnic Differences in Stressors, Resources, and Psychological Outcomes of Family Caregiving: A Meta-Analysis." Researchers found that "ethnic minority caregivers had a lower socioeconomic status, were younger, were less likely to be a spouse, and more likely to receive informal support. They provided more care than White caregivers and had stronger filial obligations beliefs than White caregivers. Asian-American caregivers, but not African-American and Hispanic caregivers, used less formal support than non-Hispanic White caregivers." Abstracts:
http://gerontologist.gerontologyjournals.org/
10. Women family caregivers and cardiovascular health
The Winter 2005 edition of Journal of Ethnicity & Disease includes "Race differences in cardiovascular and cortisol responses to an interpersonal challenge in women who are family caregivers." According to researchers, results suggest that "caregiving may be perceived as more effortful among Caucasian women and less controllable among African-American women." More info:
http://apt.allenpress.com/aptonline/?request=get-current-issue
CONFERENCES & TRAININGS
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11. AASHA conference April 4 - 6, 2005
The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AASHA) will hold their annual conference from April 4 - 6, 2005 in Washington, D.C. Although sessions do not explicitly cover caregiver support issues, several do address the expansion of home and community-based care, person-centered care and consumer direction. More info:
http://fasc2005.expoexchange.com/
12. Join FCA staff & colleagues at ASA/NCOA conference sessions
* Thursday, March 10, 10:30 a.m. to noon *
Using Technology in Community-Based Agencies: A Case for Integrating Information Technologies for Program, Planning and Evaluation
Kathleen Kelly, MPA, FCA Executive Director
Donna Schempp, LCSW, Director of Programs & Services
* Thursday, March 10 12:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. *
Peer Group: Aging on the Internet: Intermediate to Advanced Users
Kathleen Kelly, MPA, FCA Executive Director
* Saturday, March 12, 10:30 a.m. to noon *
State of the States in Family Caregiver Support: Implications for Policy & Practice
Lynn Friss Feinberg, MSW, Deputy Director, National Center on Caregiving at FCA
Sandra Newman, MPH, Policy Specialist, National Center on Caregiving at FCA
* Saturday, March 12, 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. *
Challenges of Caregiving for Diverse Caregiving Populations
Lois Marie Escobar, MSW, Family Consultant
* Sunday, March 13, 9:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. *
Caregiver Respite: Retreats & Camps in Diverse Communities
Donna Schempp, LCSW, Director of Programs & Services
And Donna Benton, PhD, David Fraser, and Susanne Rossi, Directors at our sister Caregiver Resource Centers
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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.
©2005 Family Caregiver Alliance
180 Montgomery Street, Suite 1100, San Francisco, CA 94104
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