State Legislation, Policy & Reports
Hawaii has passed legislation (S.B. 3253) to create a joint committee on family caregiving to report policy recommendations to the legislature. The committee will research and recommend comprehensive public policy to strengthen support services, such as training, education, respite, and financial incentives, for family caregivers providing care for older adults. For more information, visit:
Hawaii Legislature
The Pennsylvania Legislature adopted legislation (H.B. 1326) to create a wireless emergency telephone program for at-risk older adults who are living independently in the community. Long-distance caregivers and family members who do not live with at-risk older adults will find this new program of value. For more information, visit:
Pennsylvania Legislature
The Arkansas IndependentChoices program developed two new tools for informal and professional caregivers. The Consumer-Directed training manual will provide users with ideas and suggestions on hiring, training, and managing a personal care attendant. The Personal Care Attendant Handbook will provide users with training material that will help trainees do their jobs as personal care attendants. Both manuals contain information about hiring, communication and management issues. For more information, visit:
Consumer-Directed Model Training Manual and Personal Care Attendant Handbook
A new website will launch on September 1, 2006 for older adults and individuals with disabilities living in Iowa. The LifeLong Links website will assist individuals and family caregivers searching for resources and information on local, state, and national long-term care options. An informational webcast for service providers and consumers will be streamed on the Internet on Friday, September 15 from 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. at www.extension.iastate.edu/webcast. The webcast will also be archived at www.LifeLongLinks.org for those unable to view it live. For more information, contact: Aging and Disability Resource Center of the Iowa Department of Elder Affairs at (515) 725-3346.
Federal Legislation, Policy & Reports
On July 20, 2006, the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Committees approved their spending bill (S. 3708) for FY 2007. The legislation will restore $156 million in funding for family caregivers, which is the same as the FY 2006 budget and $2 million above the President's FY 2007 request. In addition, the legislation provides a slight increase in funding for Alzheimer research in 2007 to just under $660 million compared to current funding of $652 million. The Senate Appropriations Committee also voted to restore funding for three key Alzheimer care programs: the Alzheimer Call Center, the CDC Brain Health initiative and the Alzheimer State Matching Grants Program. For more information, visit:
U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations
The Department of Health and Human Services announced the "Money Follows the Person" grant program under which it will give states grants totaling $1.75 billion to provide alternatives to nursing home care. Under the program states would receive funds to sustain Medicaid beneficiaries, who would otherwise be in nursing homes, in their communities or in their homes. Funds could be used not only for home health care but also to modify the home to allow the care recipient to stay there. Respite care for family caregivers is also an allowable service. For more information, visit:
Money Follows the Person Press Release
New policies introduced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will allow Medicaid to keep covering nursing home care for people dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. The policies, however, also seek to lower Medicaid costs by encouraging older Americans and their caregivers to buy private long-term care insurance, toughening penalties for transferring assets to speed eligibility for the program, and improving coordination of services between Medicaid and Medicare. For more information, visit:
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Press Release
International News
Funding for Australia's Aged Care Assessment Program will be increased by nearly 11% to more than $61.4 million (in Australian dollars) this fiscal year, boosting the capacity of Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACATs) to assist older Australians. ACATs consider the needs of frail older people and connect them with the care services including residential aged care, a Community Aged Care Package, an Extended Aged Care at Home Package or a referral to other community services. Assessment teams are multi-disciplinary and can include health professionals such as medical officers, social workers, nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. For more information, visit:
Australia Minister for Ageing Press Release
The Disabled Persons (Independent Living) bill seeks to establish independent living for disabled people and stronger rights for their caregivers. If enacted, this bill will require local authorities to develop an independent living strategy for people with disabilities that prioritizes their right to freedom, choice, control and self-determination. In addition, the bill establishes that important decisions about the provision of care must take into consideration the caregiver's right to a life beyond the caring role as well as the caregiver?s own health and well-being. The bill passed its Second Reading and awaits a Committee date in the Fall. For more information, visit:
Carers UK: Parliamentary Briefings
Research Reports & Journal Articles
The National Center on Caregiving at Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) has added a new online resource, Caregivers Count Too! - A Toolkit to Help Practitioners Assess the Needs of Family Caregivers. The toolkit is a practical resource targeted to practitioners and program administrators interested in integrating caregiver assessment into their work with caregiving families, older people and adults with disabilities. A compilation of materials and techniques are provided which incorporate fundamental principles and practice guidelines resulting from the National Consensus Development Conference for Caregiver Assessment, convened by FCA in September 2005. For more information, visit:
Caregivers Count Too!
MetLife Mature Market Institute and the National Alliance for Caregiving have released an updated report on the productivity losses to U.S. businesses due to family caregiving. The study estimated costs associated with replacing employees, absenteeism, crisis in care, workday interruptions, supervisory time, unpaid leave and reducing hours from full-time to part-time to determine an overall cost to employers of $33.6 billion. The study estimates there are more than seven million employed caregivers who work full-time and also have intense caregiving responsibilities, and approximately 16 million full-time working caregivers with any caregiving responsibilities. Recommendations to reduce the cost of caregiving are offered, such as implementing flextime benefits, respite programs, and options for long-term care insurance. For more information, visit:
The MetLife Caregiving Cost Study: Productivity Losses to U.S. Business
According to a new study in the Journal of Periodontology, those who care for relatives with dementia may be at risk of having more dental plaque and gingivitis than non-caregivers. Chronic Stress, Depression and Cortisol Levels as Risk Indicators of Elevated Levels of Plaque and Gingivitis in Individuals Aged 50 and Over indicates that the demanding task of caregiving, usually associated with increased stress, may also be a risk factor for poor oral hygiene. Researchers conclude that stress may contribute to a disinterest in performing oral hygiene. For more information, visit:
American Academy of Periodontology
The July/August 2006 edition of Health Affairs includes the article The Personal Assistance Workforce: Trends in Supply and Demand. The authors argue that personal assistance workers' low wages, which have fallen behind those of comparable occupations; scarce health benefits and high job turnover rates highlight the need for greater attention to ensuring a stable and well-trained workforce to meet growing demand. For more information, visit:
The Personal Assistance Workforce: Trends in Supply and Demand
Conferences & Trainings
The Minnesota Board on Aging, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (Aging & Adult Services and Disability Services Division), and the National Association of State Units on Aging (NASUA), are hosting a combined national and state Home and Community Based Services Conference, October 3-6, 2006 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This one time event will offer training sessions on federal initiatives, policy directions, and grant programs from a national and Minnesota state perspective. The conference will highlight services and technologies designed to maintain independent living for older adults and people with disabilities. For more information, visit:
Minnesota Board on Aging
The Pennsylvania State University's 14th annual Symposium on Family Issues will be held at Penn State University, October 5-6, 2006. Intergenerational caregiving will be the focus of "Caring and Exchange Within and Across Generations." Sixteen top scholars in gerontology, sociology, economics, demography, and human development from major institutions will address the issues. For more information, visit:
Pennsylvania State University
The 2006 Annual National Respite and Caregiver Conference will be held in Omaha, Nebraska, October 25-27, 2006. The conference's 28 workshops conducted by selected nationwide experts will be centered around the theme, "Blazing New Trails for Caregiving" and will provide networking opportunities for family caregivers and service providers. For more information, visit:
Easter Seals Nebraska
Funding, Media & Miscellaneous
The July 25, 2006 edition of the Wall Street Journal included an article describing the growing interest among states to offer paid family medical leave policies to employees who act as caregivers to family members. Eight states (IL, WA, HI, MN, MA, NJ, NY & PA) have active bills that include some form of paid family leave. Since 2004, California has offered paid family leave to working caregivers, including parents as well as adult children and spouses caring for seriously ill family members. For more information, visit:
Calls Mount for Caregiver Paid Leave
A new online tool from the MetLife Mature Market Institute and the National Alliance for Caregiving allows employers to estimate the financial impact of family caregiving responsibilities within their own businesses. The tool calculates the different types of costs associated with family caregiving, such as absenteeism and replacement costs. For more information, visit:
ElderCare Calculator
On July 31, 2006, the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer aired a piece entitled, "Caregivers Struggle with Needs of Alzheimer's Patients." The story focused on the growing number of patients with Alzheimer's disease and the community of families and caregivers who have taken on the responsibility to care for them, often risking emotional, physical and financial burdens. For more information, visit:
Caregivers Struggle with Needs of Alzheimer's Patients
