State Legislation, Policy & Reports

Hawaii: Caregiver Tax Credit Legislation Pending

Legislation is pending in the Hawaii House of Representative (H.B. 795) to provide family caregivers with a refundable income tax credit of up to $1,000, based on the caregiver's adjusted gross income. Caregivers who earn $30,000 or less would receive the full credit, and those who earn above $30,000 and would earn a percentage of $1,000; there is no income cap. Caregivers must be related to the care recipient by blood, marriage or adoption in order to qualify for the credit. Care recipients must be 60 years or older and either be living with the caregiver or receiving significant financial support from them. For more information, visit:

Hawaii Legislature

Kentucky: Caregiver Tax Credit Bill Introduced

Kentucky legislators introduced a bill (H.B. 257) which would allow family caregivers to receive a nonrefundable "elder care" income tax credit based on a percentage of their income. Qualified caregivers must be related to the care recipient by blood, marriage or adoption and must have lived with the care recipient for at least months during the taxable year. Care recipients must be 60 years or older and have an annual income less than $20,000. For more information, visit:

Kentucky Legislature

New Mexico: Senate Finance Committee Passes Caregiver Tax Credit Bill

The New Mexico Senate Finance Committee passed legislation (S.B. 727) to provide caregivers with a refundable income tax credit of up to 50% of home care expenses. The credit is intended to offset the costs that caregivers incur when providing care to an ill or disabled relative. In order to qualify for the credit, the care recipient must be related to the caregiver and be 65 years or older. For more information, visit:

New Mexico Legislature

Federal Legislation, Policy & Reports

Alzheimer's Treatment and Caregiver Support Act Introduced in the House

On February 13, 2007, Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) introduced the Alzheimer's Treatment and Caregiver Support Act (H.R. 1032) which would offer grants to public and nonprofit agencies to expand treatment services for Alzheimer's patients and provide training and support services for their families and caregivers. Eligible agencies include health care organizations, community health centers, nursing homes, senior centers, Area Agencies on Aging, community-based organizations, and other government health and social service agencies. For more information, visit:

Thomas

Family Caregiver Tax Credit Legislation Introduced

On March 15, 2007, Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) introduced the Alzheimer's Family Assistance Act (S. 897) which would provide a federal income tax credit for family caregivers providing care to a relative with a chronic condition. The tax credit, which starts at $1000 in 2007 and increases each year until it reaches $3000 in 2011, is intended to help offset caregiving expenses, including home health care, adult day services, respite care and prescription drugs. The bill also makes long-term care (LTC) insurance premiums deductible for all tax payers and improves consumer protections for LTC insurance policy-holders. For more information, visit:

Thomas

Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act Introduced in the House and Senate

On March 15, 2007, Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) introduced the Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act (S. 898); Representative Edward Markey (D-MA) followed four days later introducing an identical bill (H.R. 1560) in the House. The bill would double funding for Alzheimer's research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as expand family caregiver services within certain state programs by, among other things, providing caregiver assessments. It would also establish a national, 24 hour-a-day Alzheimer's disease call center to provide expert advice, care consultation, information, and referrals. For more information, visit:

Thomas

International News

European Union: Study Finds Increase in Government Spending on Long-Term Care Services Leads to Decrease in Informal Caregiving

A study from the Institute for the Study of Labor in Bonn, Germany, called "Informal and Formal Care in Europe" by Tarja K. Viitanen, examines the relationship between government expenditures on formal residential care and home care services and the prevalence of informal caregiving in Europe. It revealed that increases in government spending "significantly reduces 45-59 year old women's informal caregiving," particularly care that goes on outside of the caregiver's own home, and it increases labor force participation. The analysis found that "a 1000 Euro [$1,336 USD] increase in the government expenditure... decreases the probability of informal caregiving outside of the caregiver's household by 6 percentage points." For more information, visit:

Institute for the Study of Labor

United Kingdom: Alzheimer's Society Report Shows Impact of Dementia in the Country

The Alzheimer's Society, an organization in the United Kingdom focused on dementia care and research, published a study on February 27, 2007 which showed the prevalence and economic impact of dementia in the U.K. The study's conservative estimate is that there are currently 700,000 people with dementia in the country and that family carers of people with dementia save the government over 6 billion pounds ($11.8 billion USD) a year. The Alzheimer's Society is calling for increased attention on dementia and improved support for family carers. For more information, visit:

Alzheimer's Society

Research Reports & Journal Articles

Survey Finds Differences in Alzheimer's Caregiver Attitudes Based on Race and Ethnicity

On March 14, 2007 the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) released its second ICAN: Investigating Caregivers' Attitudes and Needs survey, which found that African-American and Hispanic caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease are "significantly more likely than caregivers of other races to consider the disease a normal part of the aging process and dismiss its symptoms as part of getting older." The survey of caregivers found that care recipients with Alzheimer's disease typically experienced symptoms for 31 months before receiving a diagnosis, which raises concerns about those patients receiving appropriate and timely treatment and the caregivers receiving support, training, and other services. African-American and Hispanic caregivers were less likely than other caregivers to consider assisted living or skilled nursing facilities an option for their loved one, but they were more likely to participate in support groups. For more information, visit:

Alzheimer's Foundation of America

Alzheimer's Association Report Shows Prevalence of Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Caregiving

A report released in March 2007 by the Alzheimer's Association revealed that more than 5 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer's disease, a significant increase over previous years, and that nearly 10 million Americans, or 29% of all family caregivers of adults 60 years and older, are caring for a person with Alzheimer's disease or another dementia. The report highlights data concerning the disease and its effects - including the fact that every 72 seconds, someone in America develops Alzheimer's - and offers numerous statistics that convey the burden that Alzheimer's imposes on individuals, families, state and federal governments, businesses, and the nation's health care system. It also details findings related to the challenges and stress that dementia caregivers face, as well as their contributions. For example, caregivers of people with Alzheimer's and other dementias nationwide provided care worth almost $83 billion in 2005. For more information, visit:

Alzheimer's Association

"Framing the Public Health of Caregiving"

The American Journal of Public Health published an article in its February 2007 edition (Volume 97, Number 2) which approached family caregiving from a public health perspective. In the article, "Framing the Public Health of Caregiving," Ronda Talley, PhD, MPH, and John E. Crews, DPA, "contend that caregiving must be considered in the context of life span needs that vary according to the ages, developmental levels, mental health needs, and physical health demands of both caregivers and care recipients." The article argues that the public health system needs to understand better the caregiving population and what their risks are, and then "to design and implement evidenced-based interventions to address identified needs." For more information, visit:

American Journal of Public Health

Conferences & Trainings

International Conference on Aging, Disability and Independence Calls for Papers

On April 2, 2007 the University of Florida will begin accepting proposals and papers for its 2008 International Conference on Aging, Disability and Independence. Submissions must fall within one of the following categories: smart homes, telehealth, robotics, livable homes and communities, assistive devices, injury prevention, transportation, and work and aging. Proposals must be for a lecture, symposia, poster, technology demonstration, or full papers. The conference will be held February 20-23, 2008 in St. Petersburg, Florida. For more information, visit:

International Conference on Aging, Disability and Independence

Five International Conferences on Aging Join for June Event

The Festival of International Conferences on Caregiving, Aging, Disability, and Technology (FICCADT) will be held in Toronto, Canada from June 16-19, 2007. The Festival of Conferences will bring together government policy makers, researchers, family caregivers, service providers, and others from around the world to explore issues facing aging populations, the implications for healthcare systems and service providers, the roles and responsibilities of family caregivers and policy, and how new research findings and technologies are leading new and practical solutions. For more information, visit:

FICCADT

Funding, Media & Miscellaneous

Article Highlights Proposals for Caregiver Tax Incentives

AP reporter Martiga Lohn's article on March 19, 2007, "Taxed caregivers up for a break," explained that legislation offering tax incentives to family caregivers is one common approach being adopted by state lawmakers as a way to support caregivers. For example, Minnesota legislators are currently debating a $2,400 tax credit for family caregivers. Such bills are often a way to provide financial assistance to families who incur significant caregiving expenses each year, but who don't qualify for publicly-provided in-home care support or other long-term care benefits that often have an income limit. For more information, visit:

Pioneer Press

New York Times Article Critical of Long-Term Care Insurance Companies, Highlights Families' Challenges

New York Times journalist Charles Duhigg gave an in-depth look at the problems and challenges many older people and their families face when trying to collect on their long-term care (LTC) insurance policies, which are intended to cover costs associated with assisted living facilities, nursing homes, in-home health care, and other long-term care services. The March 26, 2007 article explained that some insurance companies continually make excuses and find reasons to deny people claims, leaving consumers and their families paying out-of-pocket for long-term care services they thought were covered. Duhigg focused primarily on three companies, including Conesco, highlighting their business practices and other factors that contribute to high levels of claim denials and complaints. For more information, visit:

New York Times

Applications Being Accepted for National Family Caregiving Awards Program

The National Alliance for Caregiving and MetLife Foundation are now accepting applications for the 2007 National Family Caregiving Awards Program. The $25,000 awards recognize community agencies and other organizations that support family caregivers as a significant part of their mission. Two awards are given in each of three categories: caregiver education, technology, and caregiver support. The deadline for submitting an application is May 15, 2007. The awards will be presented at a luncheon ceremony on July 31, 2007 at the N4A 32nd Annual Conference and Trade Show in San Francisco, California. For more information, visit:

National Alliance for Caregiving

Request for Grant Applications for Alzheimer's Respite Programs

The Brookdale Foundation Group has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for starting social model group respite programs for people with Alzheimer's disease and their family caregivers. The Foundation will award up to 15 seed grants for the development of dementia-specific group respite programs and up to 5 seed grants for the development of specialized programs for people with early memory loss. The seed grants are $7,500 for the first year, with the opportunity for additional grant money in following years. Proposals are due by Friday, July 6, 2007, and award announcements will be made in September. To obtain the 2007 RFP and guidelines contact Evelyn Yuen at the Brookdale National Respite Program by calling (510) 540-6734 or emailing [email protected] For more information, visit:

Brookdale Foundation Group