State Legislation, Policy & Reports

California: Committee Hearing Set for Job Protection Legislation

On April 18, 2007, the California Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment will hold a hearing on a bill (A.B. 537) to expand the rights of working caregivers under the California Family Rights Act (CFRA). The legislation would provide job protection to all workers covered by the federal Family and Medical Leave Act who take up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave to care for a seriously ill adult child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, or parent-in-law. Currently, workers who take leave to care only for an ill minor child, parent or spouse are protected under CFRA. For more information, visit:

California Legislature

Hawaii: House Passes Caregiver Support Legislation

The Hawaii House of Representatives passed a bill (S.B. 1916) on April 10, 2007 to assess and strengthen family caregiver support services in the state. The legislation would require the Executive Office on Aging to conduct an overall assessment of the needs of care recipients and caregivers in the state, including the size of the family caregiver population, the extent of older residents' unmet caregiving needs, the prevalence of informal versus formal caregiving, and the impact of family caregiver responsibilities on workers' employment and income. The bill would also extend the joint legislative committee on family caregiving and expand services for care recipients and their family caregivers. The bill must now be voted on by the Senate, which had already passed an amended version of this legislation. For more information, visit:

Hawaii Legislature

New Jersey: New Law Requires Information about Long-Term Care Facilities to be Posted Online

On April 9, 2007, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine approved a new law (S. 942/A. 2029) requiring the Department of Health and Senior Services to post certain information about the state's long-term care and adult day health facilities on the state website. Required information includes the ownership of each facility and any violations regarding the care of the patients or the condition of the facility. Visitors to the state website must be able to find that information if they search using the facility's name or the owner's name. For more information, visit:

New Jersey Legislature

Federal Legislation, Policy & Reports

Paid Sick Days Legislation Introduced

On March 15, 2007, Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) reintroduced the Healthy Families Act. The bill (S. 910/ H.R. 1542) would require certain employers, including those with at least 15 employees, to provide a minimum of seven paid sick days per year for those who work at least 30 hours per week, and fewer paid sick days for those who work 20-30 hours a week. Workers would be allowed to take the leave to care for their own medical needs or to care for an ill relative. For more information, visit:

Thomas

Task Force on Aging Research Funding Releases 2007 Report

The Task Force on Aging Research Funding released its 2007 report urging Congress to invest in medical and scientific research as a way to "keep our aging population healthier, more vital, and independent longer." The Report calls for a 6.7% increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health in FY 2008. The report examines 27 diseases or areas of health research, including Alzheimer's disease, geriatric training and women's health, and highlights the strides made and the investments needed within those areas. The report recognizes caregiving as a health risk for family caregivers, particularly women, and identifies stress and long hours of care as two risk factors. The Task Force on Aging Research Funding is comprised of more than 85 national nonprofit health advocacy and patient groups, including FCA's National Center on Caregiving. For more information, visit:

Task Force on Aging Research Funding

Older Americans Month Materials Available from Administration on Aging

The U.S. Administration on Aging now has materials available for organizations to use in recognition of Older Americans Month this May. Materials include a sample proclamation, a sample article, and various logos. For more information, visit:

U.S. Administration on Aging

International News

United Kingdom: New Law Grants Working Carers the Right to Flex Time

A new law that went into effect this month in the United Kingdom gives workers the right to request flexible working hours in order to meet their family caregiving responsibilities. For example, workers can request to start work earlier and finish earlier or work 35 hours over four days instead of five. Around 2.6 million carers are set to gain from the new law. For more information, visit:

Carers UK

Research Reports & Journal Articles

Study Findings Support Caregiver Assessments as Part of Routine Care

Dr. Julia Hannum Rose and her colleagues conducted a study that assessed patient-centered, family-focused aspects of care for frail elderly veterans, which also included measures of caregiver burden. The February 2007 issue (Volume 47, Number 1) of The Gerontologist published the findings in an article called "Caregiver Objective Burden and Assessments of Patient-Centered, Family-Focused Care for Frail Elderly Veterans." Asked to assess their loved one's quality of care, family caregivers appeared to see patient-centered, family-focused aspects of care as integral components of quality care. The "findings support recommendations for conducting caregiver assessments as part of routine care." The researchers also pointed out that "primary care providers will require additional training in order to effectively implement and translate such caregiver assessments into clinical practice improvement." For more information, visit:

The Gerontologist

Psychoeducational Program for Dementia Caregivers Proves Effective

Dr. Kenneth Hepburn and his colleagues provided an evaluation of the Savvy Caregiver program, a transportable, psychoeducational program designed for dementia caregivers, published in the March 2007 issue (Volume 33, Number 3) of the Journal of Gerontological Nursing. The program consists of six, two-hour sessions and aims to strengthen family caregivers' knowledge, skills, and outlook in order to relieve some of the stress and burden associated with caregiving. The study found that the program was successful "in ameliorating a number of adverse effects of caregiving," including stress. For more information, visit:

Journal of Gerontological Nursing

Issue Brief on Medicaid and Long-Term Care Costs

A new issue brief called "Medicaid and Long-Term Care: How Will Rising Costs Affect Services for an Aging Population?" was released by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College this month. The brief, by Howard Gleckman, provides an overview of the factors that will continue to influence Medicaid's role in covering long-term care for low-income adults. For example, the issue brief points out that the trend toward home and community-based services could have an impact on long-term care costs and the role of unpaid family caregivers, who currently provide the bulk of care to older adults living at home. For more information, visit:

Center for Retirement Research

Conferences & Trainings

Center for Personal Assistance Services Hosting One-Day Conference April 27

The Center for Personal Assistance Services at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is hosting a one-day conference called "Meeting the Nation's Need for Personal Assistance Services: State of the Science." The conference will be held Friday, April 27, 2007 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The conference is free but space is limited so registration in advance is required. Panelists will discuss research and policy related to personal assistance services, as well as trends in home and community-based services and consumer-directed care. For more information, visit:

Center for Personal Assistance Services

Webinar to Focus on Men as Caregivers

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is hosting a Healthy Aging Briefing Series for NCOA members. This month's webinar will be held April 25, 2007 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) and will focus on how organizations can adapt caregiver education and support for a male audience. The webinar will be presented by Shawn Herz, director of program development for the Los Angeles Caregiver Resource Center, who will discuss her organization's unique retreat program designed for male caregivers. The webinar is free for NCOA members, but space is limited to the first 100 people who register. For more information, visit:

National Council on Aging

Funding, Media & Miscellaneous

Family and Medical Leave Benefits Many Caregivers, Unavailable to Many Others

Reporter Jeremy D. Bonfiglio wrote an article for the South Bend Tribune, "Family Leave Reality," which highlighted the benefits of a federal law that provides job protection to workers who need time off to care for an ill family member or to bond with a new child and also identified the law's shortcomings. Specifically, many workers are unable to take advantage of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) because they cannot afford it (the 12 weeks of leave it provides is unpaid) or because they are not covered (the law only covers those who have worked at least 1,250 hours in the past year and who work at companies with at least 50 employees). The article points out that paid family leave would be more beneficial for family caregivers and tells the stories of people who were and were not able to take FMLA leave. For more information, visit:

South Bend Tribune

"Living with Alzheimer's Before a Window Closes"

The New York Times published a front page story by Jane Gross on March 29, 2007 which described the lives of people with early-stage Alzheimer's disease and the struggles they face to maintain respect from their family members and friends and quality of life. These challenges have spurred many of them to form a grassroots movement "to improve services and change public perceptions" about the early stages of dementia. For example, they are "pushing for more patient support groups, creating social networks and taking part in couples counseling to restructure their marriages after diagnosis." For more information, visit:

New York Times