State Legislation, Policy & Reports
Arizona: Legislature Passes Lifespan Respite Bill
On June 19, 2007, the Arizona Legislature passed a bill (H.B. 2789) which includes provisions for a Lifespan Respite Care Program. The bill would establish a respite program for family caregivers of children or adults with special needs who do not currently qualify for other publicly funded respite services, as well as provide training for respite care providers, support the growth and maintenance of a statewide respite coalition and conduct a study on the need for respite care throughout people's lifetimes. The bill has been sent to the governor for her signature. For more information, visit:
Arizona Legislature
California: Paper Focuses on Vulnerable Older Women and Calls for Support and Fair Working Conditions for Family Caregivers
In May 2007, The California Endowment, a statewide health foundation, released a series of papers commissioned to examine a wide range of issues related to women, health, and aging in California. One of those papers, "Improving Care and Assistance Security for Vulnerable Older Women in California" by Dr. Marj Plumb and her colleagues, includes long-term care and family caregiving issues in its analysis. The paper describes the "substantial financial, physical, and emotional burden" that often accompanies caregiving and which often falls largely on women. The authors provide recommendations for supporting caregivers, stating, "It is essential, equitable, and right that fair working conditions be provided for family caregivers through a package of health, social, and financial benefits." For more information, visit:
The California Endowment
California: FCA Releases First "Caregiving in California" Issue Paper
Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) released its first "Caregiving in California" Issue Paper in June entitled "Caregivers at Risk: A Public Health Concern." The paper argues that caregiving must be seen as a public health and policy issue, and it offers policy recommendations for improving caregivers' health and well-being. The Issue Paper offers a statistical profile of caregivers in California and distills findings from more than 50 papers, reports and articles published in the last 15 years on caregiver health. For more information, visit:
Family Caregiver Alliance
Texas: Consumer Direction Legislation Signed into Law
On June 16, 2007 Texas Governor Rick Perry signed a bill into law (S.B. 1766) which would modernize language in Texas statute relating to consumer direction models of service delivery. Specifically, rather than referring to a voucher payment program for eligible adults with long-term care needs, the law will more clearly establish a "consumer direction model," defined as a service delivery model under which a consumer exercises control over his or her individual service plan or over the persons delivering the services. The new law also charges the established Consumer Direction Work Group with developing recommendations to expand delivery of consumer direction services, to optimize the provider base for consumer direction, to expand access to support advisors, to monitor national research for best practices, and to provide assistance on outreach efforts. For more information, visit:
Texas Legislature
Federal Legislation, Policy & Reports
House Subcommittee Proposes Slight Increases for Older Americans Act Programs, No Money for Lifespan Respite
On June 7, 2007, the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations considered 2008 appropriations legislation, which includes funding for the National Family Caregiver Support Program and all other Older Americans Act (OAA) programs. The legislation would increase 2008 funding for the Administration on Aging (AoA), which administers the OAA, by $31.4 million, or about 2.3% over the current year, bringing AoA's budget to a total of $1.41 billion. While this increase is small, it contrasts with the Bush Administration's proposal to cut funding for OAA programs by $47.9 million. There was no funding provided in the appropriations bill for programs created by the Lifespan Respite Care Act, signed into law in December 2006. The full House Appropriations Committee has yet to debate the bill. For more information, visit:
Thomas
National Council on Aging
Senate Bill Recognizes Families' Needs in Caring for Soldiers with Traumatic Brain Injury
On June 14, 2007, the Senate Committee on Armed Services approved legislation (S. 1606) that would improve medical care for service members returning from active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Among other things, the Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act would improve diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The bill requires that any comprehensive plan developed to achieve those improvements must include education and outreach to families of members of the Armed Forces with TBI or PTSD on a range of matters, including detection, mitigation, and treatment. The bill has been sent to the full Senate for debate. For more information, visit:
Thomas
International News
Australia: Study Shows "Increasing Complexity of Carer Needs"
A study of Australians caring for a family member recovering from stroke was published in the June 2007 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience Nursing (Volume 39, Number 3). The study, "Stroke: The Increasing Complexity of Carer Needs" by Chantal Ski and Bev O'Connell, examined the impact of the caring role on caregivers, including the types of assistance they provided, their levels of depression and well-being, and their knowledge of available support services. The main finding was that caregivers and stroke survivors experienced higher levels of depression compared to other Australians. The study also highlighted that a "lack of appropriate discharge planning, in conjunction with early discharge of stroke survivors, can have an impact on the rehabilitative process and place increased and unrealistic demands on carers." For more information, visit:
Journal of Neuroscience Nursing
Research Reports & Journal Articles
"Facing the Problems of Providing Long-Term Care for the Oldest Old"
In "Facing the Problems of Providing Long-Term Care for the Oldest Old," Beverly Goldberg, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation, examines the aging of the U.S. population, the special needs of the oldest old, the costs of long-term care necessary to meet those needs, and the future shortage of health care workers who are trained in gerontology. In suggesting actions that can be taken to avoid potential crisis, she recommends, among other things, that lawmakers expand tax credits for family caregivers or "pass legislation providing direct cash payments to family members who provide such care." For more information, visit:
The Century Foundation
Study Shows Correlation Between Relationship Satisfaction and Caregiver Burden in Dementia Caregivers
The June 2007 issue of the Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology (Volume 20, Number 2) published an article called "Premorbid Relationship Satisfaction and Caregiver Burden in Dementia Caregivers" by Pamela Lea Steadman and her colleagues. The article reported on the findings of a study which examined the correlation between family caregivers' satisfaction with their relationship with care recipients prior to the onset of dementia and the subsequent caregiver burden and quality of family functioning. The study found that "caregivers with high satisfaction demonstrated significantly less burden and less reactivity to memory and behavior problems, and better problem solving skills and more effective communication compared with" caregivers with low relationship satisfaction. For more information, visit:
Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology
Conferences & Trainings
Annual Dementia Care Conference August 26-29
The Alzheimer's Association will hold its 15th Annual Dementia Care Conference in Chicago, IL from August 26-29, 2007. It is a chance for dementia care professionals and experts to hear about relevant, timely and applicable dementia care information. Early bird registration closes June 29, 2007. For more information, visit:
Alzheimer's Association
National Summit on Moving Science to Practice in Supporting Caregivers
The Rosalynn Carter Institute on Caregiving is hosting a national summit, Moving Science to Practice in Supporting Caregivers, to be held in Americus, Georgia October 25-26, 2007. The Summit will focus on strategies to move evidence-based caregiver interventions into wider use in communities. The deadline to register is September 30, 2007. For more information, visit:
Rosalynn Carter Institute on Caregiving
Funding, Media & Miscellaneous
Newsweek Highlights Caregiving and Alzheimer's
The June 18, 2007 issue of Newsweek featured "Caregiving and Alzheimer's" as its cover story, with an article by Barbara Kantrowitz and Karen Springen describing the challenges many dementia caregiving families face. They explain the prevalence of Alzheimer's and its negative impacts, not only on those afflicted with the disease, but on the physical, mental and financial health of the caregiving family members. As more families are affected by the disease, public awareness campaigns and political activism have increased to urge lawmakers to support caregiving families and to fund research. A second article, "A Guide for Caregivers" by Joan Raymond, provides tips for caregivers in dealing with medical issues, finances, legal issues, housing and family dynamics. The article quotes Donna Schempp, Program Director at Family Caregiver Alliance, speaking about how caregiving simply happens and is often more of a default decision than a conscious choice. For more information, visit:
Newsweek
Los Angeles Times: "The Unsung - and Unseen - Caregivers"
On June 11, 2007, Melissa Healy wrote an article for the Los Angeles Times describing the emergence of family caregivers from the shadows, especially as baby boomers age and live longer. She described the health problems and stress that many adult children, spouses and other family caregivers face when caring for an elderly or ill relative. She highlighted some of the public policies that have emerged to help family caregivers, including the National Family Caregiver Support Program, but noted that they have only scratched the surface in filling the support and service needs of millions of caregiving families. For more information, visit:
Los Angeles Times
New York Times Editorial Denounces Supreme Court Decision Regarding Direct Care Workers
The New York Times declared that fairness "lost big" when the Supreme Court ruled against a home health aide's claim for unpaid overtime. The June 15, 2007 editorial urged Congress to change the fair standards labor law, which the Supreme Court ruled was not meant to apply to home health employees. Instead, a majority on the Court ruled that those workers - including those employed by home care agencies - are classified as a type of domestic worker, such as babysitters, which are exempt from protection under the law. The editorial declared the ruling bad policy and morally unjustifiable. For more information, visit:
New York Times
CMS Solicitation Allows Funding for Caregiver Assessment
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an invitation for states to apply for Person-Centered Planning Implementation Grants under the Medicaid Program's Fiscal Year 2007 Real Choice Systems Change Grants. In particular, the grants may be used to develop and formally institute a caregiver assessment and intervention process for family caregivers of Medicaid beneficiaries. Three-year grants to states are to be awarded in the amount of $350,000-$500,000/grantee. Notice of intent to apply is due by June 29, 2007. For more information, visit:
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
