State Legislation, Policy & Reports

Ohio: Study Finds That In-Home Care Saves State Money

An article in the Toledo Blade revealed the findings of a study commissioned by the home health-care industry which showed that it costs $11,800 a year to provide care at home to a person with long-term care needs, $44,200 less than it costs for a nursing home. "The study estimates that if 70 percent of the 45,510 new people expected to need Medicaid-funded, long-term care between now and 2030 were to receive care at home or in community settings instead of nursing homes, the state could save an much as $898 million a year." This study could play a role in the legislature's debate over the state's $5 billion budget for Medicaid spending on long-term care. For more information, visit:

Toledo Blade

New Jersey: Senate Labor Committee Approves Paid Family Leave Bill

On February 5, 2007, the New Jersey Senate Labor Committee reported favorably on a bill (S.2249) to provide family leave benefits for workers caring for a sick family member or a new child. The bill would allow workers to take up to twelve weeks of paid leave to care for a child, spouse, domestic partner, or parent with a "serious health condition," while receiving the same amount of payment they would normally receive with a disability claim under the state's Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) system. Family leave benefit payments would be made from a Family Leave Disability Account, funded by a very small employee income tax. The bill has been referred to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. For more information, visit:

New Jersey Legislature

New York: Governor's Budget Includes Funding for New Family Caregiving Council

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer's Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 state budget included $200,000 in funding to establish a Family Caregiving Council. The Council would "gather information on family caregiving, evaluate how current programs and policies impact caregivers and develop recommendations to address unmet needs." The budget for the State Office for the Aging also includes funding for other community-based long-term care services, such as the Expanded In-Home Services for the Elderly Program (EISEP). EISEP provides non-medical in-home services, case management, respite and other services to older, frail New Yorkers, most of whom are low-income but not eligible for Medicaid. For more information, visit:

New York State Budget

Federal Legislation, Policy & Reports

House Passes FY 2007 Appropriations Bill, Including Funding for Older Americans Act and the National Family Caregiver Support Program

On January 31, 2007, the House of Representatives passed an omnibus appropriations bill for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 (H.J. Res. 20) which, among other things, includes funding for the Older Americans Act. The bill maintains FY 2006 funding levels into FY 2007 for the majority of programs - including $156 million for the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) - and it eliminates virtually all earmarks. However, three Older Americans Act programs will receive funding increases if the Senate agrees to the same provisions - home-delivered meals will receive a $6.4 million increase to $188.3 million; congregate meals will receive a $13.6 million increase to $398.9 million; and the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) will receive a $51.3 million increase to $483.6 million to cover increased salaries for enrollees when the minimum wage increase goes into effect. Any new programs included in the Older Americans Act Amendments of 2006, passed in October 2006, are not included in this appropriations bill. For more information, visit:

Thomas

President's Budget Cuts Funding for National Family Caregiver Support Program and Other Aging Programs

President Bush released his Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 budget on February 5, 2007. It includes a $2 million funding reduction for the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP), which would bring the funding level to approximately $154 million. Furthermore, the budget eliminates funding for Real Choice Systems Change grants - a $40 million state grant program for home and community-based services; eliminates funding for Alzheimer's disease demonstration grants to the states; decreases by $1 million the $15 million budget for the long-term care ombudsman program; and increases by $11 million the Choices for Independence initiative. Regarding Medicaid, the budget increases funding for the Money Follows the Person demonstration by $50 million, bringing the total budget to $298 million, and it eliminates the option for states to raise the home equity limit of $50,000 needed to qualify for Medicaid long-term care services. For more information, visit:

White House - President's Budget

New Fact Sheets on Long-Term Care: Medicaid's Spousal Impoverishment Protections and Medicare Financing

Georgetown University's Long-Term Care Financing Project released two new fact sheets this month. "Medicaid's Spousal Impoverishment Protections" explains the Medicaid eligibility rules regarding income and assets for couples in which one person requires long-term care in a nursing home and the other needs to maintain enough income to continue living in the community. The fact sheet asserts that the financial protections in place may be inadequate at keeping middle-income couples out of poverty given the need to spend down assets in order to qualify for Medicaid. "Medicare and Long-Term Care" explains what expenses Medicare will and will not cover for older persons, including the fact that it does not cover long-term care but will cover post-acute services, including limited time spent in a nursing home, and some home health benefits. For more information, visit:

Georgetown University Long-Term Care Financing Project

International News

Australia: Government Increases Budget for Aging by $1.5 Billion AUS ($1.17 Billion US)

On February 12, 2007, The Australian reported that Prime Minister Howard will increase the budget for aging services by $1.5 billion AUS ($1.17 Billion US) to pay for home care for older Australians and costs associated with nursing homes. In addition, some of the funding will be used for "better assessment of the needs of people in residential aged care, which would benefit those with dementia, palliative and high-care residents in nursing homes." For more information, visit:

The Australian

Research Reports & Journal Articles

Paper Analyzes Efficiency in Making Decisions about Living Arrangements of Disabled Older Parents

In February 2007, CESifo, a research network run by the Center for Economic Studies of the University of Munich (LMU), published a working paper called "Efficiency in Family Bargaining: Living Arrangements and Caregiving Decisions of Adult Children and Disabled Elderly Parents." The authors, Liliana Pezen, Robert Pollack, and Barbara Schone, analyze the living arrangements of older disabled parents - whether they are in a nursing home, living alone in the community, or living with an adult child - and the assistance provided to them by their adult children. They conclude that decisions made about living arrangements for older disabled parents may not be the most efficient or optimal choices from an economic standpoint. For more information, visit:

CESifo

Study on Cultural Attitudes and Caregiver Service Use Among Diverse Caregivers

The Journal of Gerontological Social Work (Volume 47, Number 1/2) published "Cultural Attitudes and Caregiver Service Use: Lessons from Focus Groups with Racially and Ethnically Diverse Family Caregivers" by Dr. Andrew Scharlach and colleagues, including Cara Goldstein from FCA's National Center on Caregiving. The article revealed insights from focus groups with caregivers from eight racial and ethnic populations about their caregiving experiences, care-related values and beliefs, care practices and factors contributing to the use of caregiver support services. Certain themes that emerged included the connection between caregiving and family relationships, cultural traditions and personal fulfillment. The focus groups also revealed limited use of formal caregiving support services due in part to a lack of knowledge about or trust in such services. For more information, visit:

Journal of Gerontological Social Work

Caregiving Experiences of Gay Men and Lesbians

The Journal of Gerontological Social Work (Volume 47, Number 3/4) published "Caregiving and Post-Caregiving Experiences of Midlife and Older Gay Men and Lesbians" by Dr. Kristina Hash. The study included interviews with gay men and lesbians caring for their chronically-ill partners. For the most part, these caregivers reported similar experiences with caregiving as have other caregivers of older adult spouses. The exception was that gay and lesbian caregivers reported differences from other caregivers in their experiences with formal and informal support services and their long-term planning and decision-making processes. For more information, visit:

Journal of Gerontological Social Work

Conferences & Trainings

n4a's 2007 Annual Conference to Be Held July 29-August 1 in San Francisco

The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) will hold its 2007 Annual Conference from July 29 to August 1, 2007 in San Francisco, CA. The theme is "Gateway to the New World of Aging..." The conference is open to AAA and Title VI directors and staff, aging commission members, service providers, academic researchers, federal, state and local agency officials and other professionals in the aging network. For more information, visit:

n4a

Funding, Media & Miscellaneous

Grants for Caregiving Training Programs at Community Colleges Available Soon

The Caregiving Project for Older Americans, a collaboration between the International Longevity Center-USA and the Schmieding Center for Senior Health & Education, will award up to twelve $25,000 grants to community colleges to either establish new caregiver training programs or to enhance programs that already exist. MetLife Foundation awarded a $475,000 grant to ILC-USA to implement the demonstration project. The formal Request for Proposals will be disseminated by March 2007, and final selections will be made in June. For more information, visit:

The Caregiving Project for Older Americans

New Online Resource on Assistive Technology for Persons with Dementia

AT Dementia is a new online information resource on assistive technology for people with dementia and their caregivers. The website, developed by Trent Dementia Services Development Center (UK), includes perspectives on assistive technology's benefits and limitations, its ethical use, and current research and new technologies in development. It also includes information on how to obtain assistive technology and a searchable product database. For more information, visit:

AT Dementia

Booklets Available on Anger Management for Caregivers of Dementia Patients

Two booklets from Duke University's Family Support Program address anger management issues common for those interacting with dementia patients. The booklets are available through the ADEAR (Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral) Center. Wait a Minute! is a pamphlet with short scenarios that offer guidance to family caregivers who feel angry, guilty, hopeless, and stressed out. "Hit Pause" - Helping Dementia Families Deal With Anger by Edna Ballard is for health professionals who work with family caregivers. For more information, visit:

ADEAR Center

NBC Nightly News Airs "Trading Places: Caring for Aging Parents"

Throughout the week of February 12, 2007, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams is airing a series called "Trading Places: Caring for Aging Parents," which highlights the challenges adult children face when caring for their older parents. The stories feature journalists,' including Brian Williams and Tim Russert, own narratives of finding services and providing caring for their parents. NBC Nightly News airs weekdays at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit:

NBC Nightly News