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STATE LEGISLATION & POLICY
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1. Alabama conducts needs assessment of services
2. Michigan public policy agenda addresses caregiving issues
3. Oregon holds hearing on bill to support caregivers of veterans
4. Tennessee report on long-term care and caregiving legislation
FEDERAL LEGISLATION & POLICY
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5. Assistant Secretary Carbonell testifies on AoA budget
6. House LTC hearing addresses family caregiving issues
7. GAO report/testimony on LTC, caregiving
8. Federal legislation to support family caregivers
JOURNAL ARTICLES
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9. "The Health Status of Rural Caregivers"
10. Caregivers and grieving
11. "Dementia Caregiving: The Experiences of Hispanic/Latino Caregivers"
CONFERENCES & TRAININGS
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12. American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry call for papers
FUNDING, MEDIA & MISCELLANEOUS
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13. Resource on family-friendly jury duty initiatives
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STATE LEGISLATION & POLICY
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1. Alabama conducts needs assessment of services
The Alabama Department of Senior Services is currently conducting a needs assessment of services for the elderly in the state. Caregiving issues addressed by the needs assessment include: the availability of adult day services; the importance of caring for an older relative or friend; and the availability of in-home care. The survey can be filled out online. View:
http://www.ageline.net/NeedsAssessment2005/
2. Michigan public policy agenda addresses caregiving issues
The Michigan Office of Services to the Aging has developed a draft public policy agenda that addresses caregiving and long-term care issues. The agenda consists of public policy proposals developed by content experts throughout the state. Caregiving is a major topic area; proposals address issues related to working caregivers; public awareness; support for caregivers of persons with dementia; and financial incentives for informal caregivers. Residents will have the opportunity to offer feedback at five policy forums. Read:
http://tinyurl.com/83hz2
3. Oregon holds hearing on bill to support caregivers of veterans
The Oregon House of Representatives Committee on Veterans' Affairs recently held a hearing to consider legislation (H.B. 2852) to create a Veterans' Family Caregiver Program. The program would provide income to family members who provide in-home care to disabled veteran. More info:
http://www.leg.state.or.us/house/houseset.htm
4. Tennessee report on long-term care and caregiving legislation
The Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability has made available a legislative update on state initiatives addressing long-term care and caregiving. Included is legislation (H.B. 704) which directs the Department of Children's Services and the Commission on Aging and Disability to jointly develop and implement a range of services to support and encourage caregivers of older people and adults with disabilities. The bill passed the House March 28, 2005. Download:
http://www.state.tn.us/comaging/Report%2005-06.pdf
FEDERAL LEGISLATION & POLICY
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5. Assistant Secretary Carbonell testifies on AoA budget
Assistant Secretary for Aging, Josefina Carbonell, testified before the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor/HHS/Education regarding the fiscal year 2006 budget for the U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA). Testimony covered a wide array of AoA programs and services, including those provided under the National Family Caregiver Support Program. Download:
http://appropriations.house.gov/_files/JosefinaCarbonellTestimony.pdf
6. House LTC hearing addresses family caregiving issues
An April 2005 hearing of the U.S. House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health addressed a range of long-term care issues, including the role of family caregivers. In written testimony, one witness stated that "Intensive family caregiving comes at considerable cost-in employment, health status and quality of life-and may fail to meet care needs." Info and testimony:
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/hearings.asp?formmode=detail&hearing=399
7. GAO report/testimony on LTC, caregiving
The U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) has made available testimony prepared for a recent hearing of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Health. Based on a study of long-term care financing, the testimony includes an overview of long-term care reform proposals, including those that recognize the "benefits, burdens and costs of informal caregiving." Download:
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05564t.pdf
8. Federal legislation to support family caregivers
Two pieces of legislation originally introduced in the 108th session of Congress have been reintroduced in the 109th Congress. The Senior Elder Care Relief and Empowerment (SECURE) Act (S. 835) would provide a 50% tax credit for caregiving expenses above a $1,000 threshold. The Healthy Families Act (H.R. 1902) would allow workers to have seven paid days of sick leave a year-for themselves or to provide care for a parent or loved one. More info:
http://www.house.gov/delauro/press/2005/April/paid_sick_leave_04_27_05.html
JOURNAL ARTICLES
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9. "The Health Status of Rural Caregivers"
The April 2005 edition of the Journal of Gerontological Nursing includes "The Health Status of Rural Caregivers." According to the authors "the purposes of this study were to examine the relationships among stress, caregiver burden, and the health status of rural caregivers and assess whether caregiver burden and stress predict the physical health status of caregivers in the rural setting." Journal information:
http://www.slackinc.com/allied/jgn/
10. Assessing grief among family caregivers
The April 2005 edition of the Journal of Death Studies includes "Development of a short form inventory to assess grief in caregivers of dementia patients." According to the authors, "this article describes the derivation of a short-form of the Marwit-Meuser Caregiver Grief Inventory (MM-CGI), an inventory designed to measure grief in caregivers of persons with progressive dementia. It presents initial reliability and validity data and describes ways to use the inventory both clinically and scientifically." Abstract:
http://taylorandfrancis.metapress.com/openurl.asp?genre=journal&issn=0748-1187
11. "Dementia Caregiving: The Experiences of Hispanic/Latino Caregivers"
The April 2005 edition of the Journal of Transcultural Nursing includes "Dementia Caregiving: The Experiences of Hispanic/Latino Caregivers." According to the authors "the purpose of this study was to explore the phenomenon of dementia caregiving in an ethnically diverse group of Latino caregivers, with the goal of identifying cultural influences on the caregiving experience." Abstract:
http://tcn.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/16/2/163
CONFERENCES & TRAININGS
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12. American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry call for papers
The American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry is accepting submissions for presentations at the next annual conference, to be held March 10 - 13, 2006 in Puerto Rico. Submissions cover a wide range of categories, including family and caregiving issues related to aging. The deadline is June 1, 2005 and proposals can be submitted online. More info:
http://www.aagpmeeting.org/
FUNDING, MEDIA & MISCELLANEOUS
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13. Resource on family-friendly jury duty initiatives
The website http://familyfriendlyjuryduty.org is dedicated to supporting policies that promote progressive jury duty issues. The ability to defer jury duty for family caregivers who cannot make alternative care arrangements is one example. The website tracks legislation and initiatives at the state level. Access:
http://familyfriendlyjuryduty.org/index.html
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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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©2005 Family Caregiver Alliance
180 Montgomery Street, Suite 1100, San Francisco, CA 94104
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