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The Technical Assistance Centers are a partnership between Family Caregiver Alliance and the ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center. The Centers provide technical assistance to the Aging and Lifespan Respite Networks on caregiver and lifespan respite program development. Volume I, Number 4 August 3, 2010 Quick Links Technical Assistance Center: Caregiver Programs Technical Assistance Center: Lifespan Respite ARCH Respite Locator Search for Respite FCA's Fact Sheets & Publications ARCH's Fact Sheets & Publications Subscribe The Newsletter of the Technical Assistance Centers Caregiving PolicyDigest Email Us Technical Assistance Center: Caregiver Programs (FCA) Technical Assistance Center: Lifespan Respite (ARCH) Give Us Your Feedback You can further shape the content of the Newsletter and the activities of the Technical Assistance Centers by telling us about your areas of interest. FCA's on Facebook. Get updates about caregiving by clicking the "Like" button. In this issue Key Feature Upcoming Events Research & Practice Lifespan Respite News FCA has a new address effective August 16, 2010 Family Caregiver Alliance 180 Montgomery Street, Suite 900 San Francisco, CA 94104 Key Feature Campaign For Better Care This month on Key Feature, Lynn Friss Feinberg, Director of the Campaign for Better Care at the National Partnership for Women & Families in Washington D.C. answers questions about the Campaign. Read more... Upcoming Events To see the full description of the event, click on the date. August August 12: Deadline to apply for The Rosalinde Gilbert Innovations in Alzheimer's Disease Caregiving Legacy Awards. August 12: ARCH Webinar: Tools for Collaboration September September 26-29: National Home and Community Based Services Conference, Atlanta, GA. October October 7: North Carolina Respite Care Coalition Respite Conference, Randleman, NC. October 24-27: National Respite Conference, Baltimore, MD. Research & Practice Enhancing Cognitive Health Outcomes: The ECHO Program is looking for families in Northeast Ohio If you or someone you know is experiencing memory loss, you may be eligible to participate in the Cleveland-based ECHO program (Enhancing Cognitive Health Outcomes). Read more... The National Alliance for Caregiving is Seeking Caregivers of Veterans for a New Study This is an opportunity for family caregivers of Veterans to be heard and to improve services for caregivers of Veterans now and beyond. Read more... NIA Report: "Can Alzheimer's Disease Be Prevented?" NIA report examines risk factors for AD and discusses the possibilities of preventing or delaying the onset of the disease.  Read more... Study Examines Positive Effects of Spousal Caregiving Article published in Psychology and Aging (Volume 25, Number 1), examines the contexts in which providing care to an elderly spouse may result in positive outcomes. Read more... AoA:  A Toolkit for Serving Diverse Communities Toolkit recently released by the U.S. Administration on Aging provides the Aging Network with easy to use methods for providing sensitive services for diverse communities. Read more... Report: "Changing the Trajectory of Alzheimer's Disease" Report released by the Alzheimer's Association examines the costs  associated with Alzheimer's disease and possible Medicare and Medicaid savings if disease modifying treatments were available. Read more... Study: Dementia Spousal Caregivers More Likely to Get Dementia Article in the May 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (Volume 58, Issue 5) reveals that spousal caregivers of people with dementia are more likely than noncaregivers to get dementia themselves. Read more... New on FCA's website: FCA Blogs! Kathle en Kelly, Executive Director, and a number of dedicated FCA staff writers will cover in their blogs the issues they are most passionate about: emerging public policy, excellence in caregiver interventions, recognition of family caregivers in the media and numerous others. Join the discussion and post a comment of your own. Give Us Your Feedback You can further shape the content of the Newsletter and the activities of the Technical Assistance Centers by telling us about your areas of interest. Please respond to our brief questionnaire here. Innovations Clearinghouse on Family Caregiving For more research based and research informed practices, visit FCA's Innovations Clearinghouse/Online Technical Assistance Center. Search the Clearinghouse to identify best practices, specific tools and policy & advocacy efforts; connect with fellow professionals from the aging networks; and request specialized technical assistance. Lifespan Respite News Getting to know the Lifespan Respite Partners (Third in a continuing series) The first twelve AoA-funded Lifespan Respite Grantees are well into their first year Facebookof funding. In the last newsletter, updates for the Lifespan Respite Programs in Alabama, Arizona, and Illinois were provided. This article highlights the primary activities of the North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas Lifespan Respite grantees as they work to implement Lifespan Respite Care Programs in their states, as well as the roles of the state respite coalition and the Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) in each project. Read more... Listen to the Lifespan Respite Webinar ARCH's "Respite in the Faith Community" Webinar provides an overview of national models of interfaith caregiving, as well as, innovative yet practical approaches that local faith-based congregations and communities can take to provide respite to family caregivers caring for children, adults, and the aging population. Read more... Exclusively for Lifespan Respite Grantees and Partners State Lifespan Respite Grantees and their designated stakeholders are invited to join a new networking webpage at ARCH's Technical Assistance Center for Lifespan Respite. Read more... For everyone--Join ARCH on Facebook and on Twitter @archrespite Give ARCH your Feedback We Need Your Input! The AoA funded Lifespan Respite Training and Technical Assistance Project of the ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center would greatly appreciate your input in planning its training and TA activities. Please take a moment to respond to our online questionnaire by clicking here. Family Caregiver Alliance  |  National Center on Caregiving 180 Montgomery Street, Suite 1100 San Francisco, CA 94104 (800) 445-8106 www.caregiver.org ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center 4016 Oxford Street Annandale, VA 22003 (703) 256-2084 www.archrespite.org This project is supported, in part, under a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions.  These contents, however, do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and endorsement by the Federal Government should not be assumed. ©2010 Family Caregiver Alliance. All rights reserved. The National Center on Caregiving at Family Caregiver Alliance works to advance the development of high-quality and cost-effective policies and programs for caregivers in every state in the country. The National Center is a central source of information and technical assistance on family caregiving for policymakers, health and service providers, program developers, funders, media and families. For questions or further information about the National Center on Caregiving, visit the Family Caregiver Alliance website at www.caregiver.org. To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Newsletter of the Technical Assistance Centers, use the following link: www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=2366 Or, contact Family Caregiver Alliance using our toll-free phone number: (800) 445-8106 Your subscription information is used only for the purpose of improving this service and tailoring it to the needs of its audience. Information provided to us will not be shared with any other organization, agency, corporation, entity or third party. The Newsletter of the Technical Assistance Centers is a publication of the National Center on Caregiving at Family Caregiver Alliance, 180 Montgomery Street, Suite 1100, San Francisco, CA 94104.

Key Feature

Campaign for Better Care

Supported by The Atlantic Philanthropies and led by the National Partnership for Women & Families, in partnership with Community Catalyst and the National Health Law Program, the Campaign for Better Care aims to ensure that health reform improves the way we deliver health care so that it will finally work for the most vulnerable among us—older adults with multiple health conditions and their families. This month on Key Feature, Lynn Friss Feinberg, Director of the Campaign for Better Care at the National Partnership for Women & Families in Washington D.C. answers questions about the Campaign.

Upcoming Events

The Rosalinde Gilbert Innovations in Alzheimer's Disease Caregiving Legacy Awards

Only 10 Days Left to Apply!

Deadline to apply: August 12,2010

Prizes for Innovative Caregiver Programs in: Policy & Advocacy, Diverse Communities, and Creative Expression.

Nonprofit organizations, government agencies and universities are invited to apply for the 2010 Rosalinde Gilbert Innovations in Alzheimer's Disease Caregiving Legacy Awards. The deadline to apply is August 12, 2010, 5:00 pm PST.

With generous support from The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation, three awards of $20,000 each will be given to organizations to recognize unique programs that address the needs of Alzheimer's caregivers. One award will be granted in each of these categories:

• Diverse/Multicultural Communities
• Creative Expression
• Policy and Advocacy

The National Center on Caregiving at Family Caregiver Alliance is overseeing this national awards program. To see the details about the awards and access the online application, visit FCA's website.

ARCH Webinar
Tools For Collaboration: Building and Sustaining Partnerships for Lifespan Respite

August 12, 2010, 3:00 - 4:15 p.m.

To register, click here.

At the heart of Lifespan Respite is the concept of collaboration. Throughout the Lifespan Respite Care Act, and in the federal program guidance, references are made to collaboration and coordination among various stakeholders at the federal, state and local levels. This webinar will explore the history, successes, and challenges of collaboration among state agencies, state respite coalitions, and Aging and Disability Resource Centers. While the lessons to be learned will be most useful for those directly involved in planning and implementation of State Lifespan Respite programs and state respite coalitions, others working in social service, long-term services and supports, and health systems will benefit as well.

Speakers:

• Barbara Snyder
  Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations
  Easter Seals Delaware & Maryland's Eastern Shore
  Ms. Snyder was instrumental in helping to establish the DE Caregiver Coalition in 2003 and now directs the DE Lifespan Respite Network.
• Barbara Schwartz
  Illinois Department on Aging
  Ms. Schwartz is the Illinois Department on Aging Project Supervisor for the federally-funded Lifespan Respite Grant and oversees the Caregiver, Kinship and Intergenerational programs for the Department.
• Joseph Lugo
  Aging Services Program Specialist
  Administration on Aging, US Department of Health and Human Services
  Mr. Lugo is the federal program officer for the Aging and Disability Resource Center Program at AoA.

National Home and Community Based Services Conference

September 26-29, 2010

The National Association of State Units on Aging (NASUA) is hosting the 26th National Home and Community Based Services Conference September 26-29, 2010 in Atlanta Georgia. The conference will showcase national, state and local delivery and policy developments vital for assuring Americans of all ages and abilities receive the highest quality community living supports, care, and services possible. Registration for the conference is now open. For more information, visit the website of the National Home and Community Based Services Conference.

North Carolina Respite Care Coalition Respite Conference, Randleman, NC

October 7, 2010

The North Carolina Respite Care Coalition will host a Respite Conference with a focus on Growing Great Respite with Limited Funding. Speakers include W.C. Hoecke with Family Connections in South Carolina and Kelly Tipler with Tennessee Respite Coalition. In addition, exceptional North Carolina Respite Programs will be highlighted in special presentations.

For more information visit the Coalition's website and contact Jane Macleod by regular mail at North Carolina Respite and Crisis Care Coalition PO Box 165/Gibsonville NC 27249 or send her an email at [email protected]

National Respite Conference, Baltimore, MD

October 24-27, 2010

The Maryland Respite Care Coalition in partnership with the ARCH National Respite Network will host the National Respite Conference October 24-27, 2010 at the Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel in Baltimore, MD. The theme is RESPITE: Create It and is a call for advocates and professionals to showcase the creative ways in which Respite Care is delivered throughout the nation.

This conference is intended for everyone who supports family members and caregivers of individuals across the Lifespan. This is an especially exciting year as the new federally-funded Lifespan Respite States and the 20th Anniversary of ARCH are celebrated.

For more information on the conference, visit the ARCH website.

Research and Practice

Enhancing Cognitive Health Outcomes: The ECHO Program is looking for families in Northeast Ohio

http://www.benrose.org/Research/ECHO.cfm

If you or someone you know is experiencing memory loss, you may be eligible to participate in the Cleveland-based ECHO program (Enhancing Cognitive Health Outcomes). The ECHO program, developed by researchers at Cleveland's Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging, is funded by the Ohio Department of Aging through the Administration on Aging, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ECHO participants perform "mental exercises" on a computer to help them stay mentally active, learn about memory loss, and how to improve communication skills. To be eligible for the ECHO project, the person with memory loss must live in Northeast Ohio and:

• Be 50 years of age or older;
• Live in the community rather than in an institutional setting;
• Have mild to moderate memory loss; and
• Have a close family member who helps or will help them.

For more information about the ECHO program please contact Sarah Schwartz at (216) 373-1612 or [email protected]

The National Alliance for Caregiving is Seeking Caregivers of Veterans for a New Study.

Caregivers of Veterans may participate in the study by responding to an online survey. To take the survey please log on to: www.gwsurvey.com/caregiversofveterans.html.

For more information, please contact Kathy Cameron at [email protected] or (703) 585-6607 For caregivers who do not have Internet access, the online survey is also available in a paper version to complete and return via regular mail.

NIA Report: "Can Alzheimer's Disease Be Prevented?"

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, recently released a report, "Can Alzheimer's Disease be Prevented?" The report examines risk factors for Alzheimer's disease—those which can and cannot be controlled, describes research related to preventing the disease, and provides a discussion about the possibility of preventing or delaying onset of the disease. For more information, visit: National Institute on Aging at http://www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Publications/ADPrevented/.

Study Examines Positive Effects of Spousal Caregiving

A recent article published in Psychology and Aging (Volume 25, Number 1), "Does a Helping Hand Mean a Heavy Heart?," examines the contexts in which providing care to an elderly spouse may result in positive outcomes. Psychologist Michael Poulin and colleagues found that spousal caregivers experience more positive emotions and fewer negative emotions when they engage in hands-on care, such as feeding and bathing, for their spouse. Spousal caregivers tend to experience more negative emotions when the care they provide is more passive, such as looking after a spouse to make sure nothing goes wrong or that he or she doesn't wander. For more information, visit: University of Buffalo at http://www.buffalo.edu/news/11480.

AoA: A Toolkit for Serving Diverse Communities

This Toolkit provides the Aging Network and its partners with a replicable and easy-to-use method for providing respectful, inclusive, and sensitive services for any diverse community. The Toolkit consists of a four-step process and a questionnaire that assists professionals, volunteers and grassroots advocates with every stage of program planning, implementation and service delivery for older adult communities, their families and caregivers. The core principles of the toolkit include respect, inclusion and sensitivity as the hallmarks of quality service. This Toolkit is an invitation to make a cultural shift in service provision, to learn, to grow and fully appreciate the diverse community of older adults that agencies and their partners serve.For more information visit: AoA at http://www.aoa.gov/AoAroot/Press_Room/For_The_Press/pr/archive/2010/June/DiversityToolkit.aspx.

Report: "Changing the Trajectory of Alzheimer's Disease"

The Alzheimer's Association released a report in May 2010 called "Changing the Trajectory of Alzheimer's Disease: A National Imperative." The report examines the current projections and costs associated with the Alzheimer crisis, as well as what Medicare and Medicaid savings are possible if disease modifying treatments were available. It reveals that, from 2010 to 2050, the total costs of care for Americans age 65 and older with Alzheimer's disease will increase five-fold, from $172 billion to $1.08 trillion per year, including out-of-pocket costs to caregiving families. For more information, visit: Alzheimer's Association at http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_trajectory.asp.

Study: Dementia Spousal Caregivers More Likely to Get Dementia

An article in the May 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (Volume 58, Issue 5) reveals that spousal caregivers of people with dementia are more likely than noncaregivers to get dementia themselves. The study followed 1,221 married couples aged 65 and older in Utah. The authors conclude that "the chronic and often severe stress associated with dementia caregiving may exert substantial risk for the development of dementia in spouse caregivers." The journal also includes an editorial by Peter P. Vitaliano, Ph.D. about the "ironic tragedy" of the study's findings. To read "Greater Risk of Dementia When Spouse Has Dementia? The Cache County Study" by Dr. Maria Norton and colleagues, visit: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/117995531/home ; CNN: "Can caring make you sick?" at http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/20/caregivers.health.risks/index.html.

New on FCA's website: FCA Blogs!

Kathleen Kelly, Executive Director, and a number of dedicated FCA staff writers will cover in their blogs the issues they are most passionate about: emerging public policy, excellence in caregiver interventions, recognition of family caregivers in the media and numerous others. Join the discussion and post a comment of your own.

Give Us Your Feedback

You can further shape the content of the Newsletter and the activities of the Technical Assistance Centers by telling us about your areas of interest. Please respond to our brief questionnaire here.

Innovations Clearinghouse on Family Caregiving

For more research based and research informed practices, visit FCA's Innovations Clearinghouse/Online Technical Assistance Center.

Lifespan Respite News

Getting to Know the Lifespan Respite State Grantees and Stakeholders

(Third in a continuing series)

To access the PDF of this article, click here.

The first twelve AoA—funded Lifespan Respite Grantees are well into their first year of funding. In the last newsletter, updates for the Lifespan Respite Programs in Alabama, Arizona, and Illinois were provided. This article highlights the primary activities of the North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas Lifespan Respite grantees as they work to implement Lifespan Respite Care Programs in their states, as well as the roles of the state respite coalition and the Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) in each project.

North Carolina

Lead Agency and Primary Collaborators: The Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with the Division of Medical Assistance, the Office of Long-Term Services and Supports, the North Carolina Respite Care Coalition and other key partners.

Main Activities
The goals of the NC Lifespan Respite program are to 1) Research, adapt and implement a model Lifespan Respite Care Program for NC; 2) Improve statewide coordination of lifespan respite care and build leadership capacity across service delivery systems; 3) Enhance infrastructure through new relationships with the faith and medical communities; and 4) Develop and implement an innovative statewide respite education and public awareness initiative.

To achieve these goals, the program is working to enhance their database systems to improve information dissemination about and coordination of respite services, including a web-based guide to NC lifespan respite services; a model public relations plan for NC respite services; a web-based guide highlighting best practice respite care worker and volunteer recruitment and training programs in NC; and a series of web-based, print, and video segments to help family caregivers. As a way to engage statewide participation, the program proposed a challenge to each of NC's 100 counties called "Just One More", to come up with at least one new respite initiative, program, or support.

To assist in building infrastructure and increasing collaboration, a state Advisory Team was created. Advisory Team members completed an online survey that shared their organization's most compelling data and statistics related to respite and personal stories/narrative quotes. These results will be compiled into one document that team members can use to highlight how respite is being used and how it is needed across the Lifespan.

To address the grant objective, to "enhance service capacity through new relationships with the faith and medical communities", Lifespan Respite Staff have held meetings with state and regional representatives of Community Care of North Carolina, (CCNC) a public-private partnership between the state and 14 nonprofit community care networks. The Community Care of North Carolina program is building community health networks organized and operated by community physicians, hospitals, health departments, and departments of social services. By establishing regional networks, the program is establishing the local systems that are needed to achieve long-term quality, cost, access and utilization objectives in the management of care for Medicaid recipients. All CCNC Care Managers and Medical Providers will be surveyed on knowledge and perception of 1) caregiver needs and indicators for burnout; 2) respite care resources available in the community; and, 3) opportunities for development of more respite resources under the grant's "Just One More" challenge.

The NC Lifespan respite grant project team has met twice with leadership from the NC Baptist Aging Ministry (NC BAM). NC BAM is represented on the grant's state Advisory Team and continues to use those connections to learn more about respite options available to families.

State Respite Coalition Role
The statewide North Carolina Respite Care Coalition (NCRCC), which was established more than a decade ago, principally as a networking, training, and advocacy group, is part of the state leadership in helping to administer the program. They are currently focused on developing a training guide for volunteer respite workers and will host a statewide respite conference in October. The Project's Year One focus on best practices in respite volunteerism ties in well with the NCRCC education conference, which focuses on volunteer and faith-based programs.

Aging and Disability Resource Center Role
Along with the NC Respite Care Coalition, the state ADRCs, known as Community Resource Connections for Aging and Disabilities in the state, serve on the Lifespan Respite Project Advisory Team; Lifespan staff is represented at CRC meetings. Twelve CRC sites serve 28 of NC's 100 counties. The NC Lifespan respite grant project manager is part of a collaboration team led by leadership of NC's CRCs. This team consists of all project managers involved in grants overseen by the Administration on Aging and require collaboration with the state's ADRCs. Opportunities for collaboration are identified on a frequent basis because the Lifespan Respite Program Specialist also serves as a CRC Coordinator in the western region of the state. An expectation for CRCs to collaborate with the Lifespan Respite Grant has been established through written objectives on all work plans/contracts between the state and local CRC hubs. Specific strategies for collaboration with the CRC, which also relies on NC CareLINK for community resource data, are being developed.

NC State Lead Contact:
Alicia Blater
Family Caregiver Support
Program Consultant
NC Div. of Aging and Adult Services
2101 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699
(919) 733-0440
alicia.b[email protected]

South Carolina

Lead Agency and Primary Collaborators: The Lieutenant Governor's Office on Aging (LGOA), in partnership with the South Carolina Respite Coalition (SCRC) and Family Connection of SC, and key stakeholders.

Main Activities
The South Carolina Lifespan Respite grant project is working to establish a state and local coordinated Lifespan Respite system that expands and enhances respite services statewide for all family caregivers of people with disabilities and special needs. One of their first activities was the establishment of a State Advisory Council to guide the development of the coordinated Lifespan Respite System. The State Advisory Council is comprised of 23 representatives of Cabinet Level and other state agencies, Aging Network providers, major disability organizations, caregiver and other state holder groups. The Advisory Council formulated a draft of data elements needed from SAC member agencies and other providers regarding respite services provided and the unmet need for respite to gather baseline data for determining the outcomes of this grant.

To date, LGOA initiated regular project meetings of the three grant partners to plan, coordinate and monitor grant activities and progress. One or more of the key partners presented to a variety of groups, including the ADRCs (see below) and Area Agency on Aging Directors, Council of Governments Directors, the SC Aging Advisory Council, Systems Transformation Grant Advisory Board, the Systems Transformation Grant DD/IT Workgroup Committee, the Lt. Governor's Office on Aging Staff, Family Caregiver Support Program, Silver Haired Legislature, I&R Specialists Meeting, and Adult Sibling Leadership Network (ProParents). Partners provided an overview of the grant, the vision of a state and local coordinated Lifespan Respite System and how each group can be involved.

The Directors of the AAA's (where the ADRCs are housed and operated) were briefed early on the grant to set the stage for developing the collaboration and cross-training between the ADRCs and Family Connection. One component of SC's existing statewide infrastructure is a network of Family Caregiver Support Program Advocates—one located at each of 5 established ADRCs (and 5 at Area Agencies on Aging, soon-to-be established ADRCs). In January 2010, these advocates were also briefed on the grant and their role.

Additional activities will involve recruiting and training volunteers to fill gaps in respite services, particularly in rural areas through partnerships with programs such as the Corporation for National Service (e.g., AmeriCorps, VISTA, Service Learning, Senior Companions), as well as faith-based efforts.

State Respite Coalition Role

The SCRC and Family Connection began developing a Voucher Tool Kit which includes sections on a (1) Respite Benevolence Policy for use by Faith Groups and (2) Finding Respite Caregivers. They also planned and conducted the 2010 "Respite Solutions for the Faith Community" Conference in February, and presented at the Family Connection "Of Hopes and Dreams" Conference on respite options for SC Families with Children with Special Heath Care Needs and on "Establishing and Operating a Voucher (Benevolence) Program for Respite" in March 2010.

Materials produced during the grant period include a Respite Benevolence Policy for use by Faith Groups and a handout on Finding Caregivers and Respite Providers, which provides practical steps and resources for family caregivers for hiring and overseeing a respite provider. In March, both of these products were posted on the Family Connection web-site as free down loads and linked to the SC Access and SCRC websites. In April, materials from the Respite Solutions Conference were posted to the SCRC web-site and linked to the SC Access website Learn About Section.

Aging and Disability Resource Center Role
The program plans to provide outreach, information and screening for respite services through the Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRC), as well as the Family to Family Health Care Information and Education Center to encourage use and connect family caregivers with respite options as early as possible. Information will be bridged electronically. During the first six months of the grant, the LGOA, SCRC and Family Connection began to engage the Aging, Disability and Caregiver networks through a series of presentations informing the key stakeholders about the SC Lifespan Respite Grant. As a result, ADRCs, I&R Specialists and Family Connection disseminated respite information and referrals to families of children with disabilities via toll-free phone and website access.

SC State Lead Contacts:
Denise Rivers, LMSW
CIRS
Deputy Director
Lt. Governor's Office on Aging
(803) 734-9939
[email protected]

Eve Barth, MHA
Program Manager
Lt. Governor?s Office on Aging
(803) 734-9872
[email protected]

Texas

Lead agency and primary collaborators: The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS)

Major Activities
The main activities under this grant include the recent creation of the Texas Respite Coordination Center (TRCC); (2) increasing the availability of respite services; (3) implementing a caregiver awareness campaign; and, (4) developing best practices, materials and tools for respite care providers. DADS will administer the contract for the TRCC, as well as the contracts for expanding services under a newly enacted state legislation, which established a state-funded Texas Lifespan Respite Program in September 2009.

The TRCC will: (1) support the respite coordination and outreach efforts of the stakeholders and contractors of respite under H.B. 802; (2) compile and annually update a Texas Inventory of Respite Services, (3) conduct respite forums across the state; (4) develop media kits and outreach materials aimed at caregivers; and, (5) develop training and best practice tools for providers of respite services.

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission will conduct ongoing evaluation activities to assess the program's effectiveness, using a comparison analysis of the Inventory, as well as provider interviews and a caregiver survey.

State Respite Coalition Role
Newly formed, the Texas Respite Coalition will work in an advisory capacity with DADS and other partners to ensure that (1) caregivers will have a greater knowledge about and access to, a wider array of respite care options; and, (2) Texas will have a respite care system that has greater capacity and is more coordinated across service systems. The Coalition's respite coordination and outreach efforts will be supported by the TRCC.

Aging and Disability Resource Center Role
The state's ADRC will work collaboratively with the TX Respite Coalition and other stakeholders on respite coordination and outreach efforts. ADRCs are eligible local entities for administering respite through State Lifespan Respite funding.

Texas State Lead Contacts:
Christy Fair, Manager, Special Projects
Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services
701 W. 51st St.
Austin, TX 78751
(512) 438-3257
(512) 438-3528 Fax
[email protected]

Cheryl Nolting
Grants Coordinator
Access & Intake Division
Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services
Mail Code: W-350 710 West 51st Street - P.O. Box 149030 Austin, Texas 78714-9030 (512) 438-5555 direct line (512) 438-4374 Fax [email protected]

Listen to the Lifespan Respite Webinar

ARCH's "Respite in the Faith Community" Webinar provides an overview of national models of interfaith caregiving, as well as, innovative yet practical approaches that local faith-based congregations and communities can take to provide respite to family caregivers caring for children, adults, and the aging population. A "benevolence fund" voucher method is highlighted. In addition, a volunteer respite program run by Lyngblomsten in St. Paul, MN, for individuals with early to mid-stage memory loss that is being nationally replicated by Lutheran Services of America is described, and a family caregiver shares her experiences with this program. A new ARCH fact sheet on "Respite in the Faith Community" is also available here. To listen to the webinar, follow the link here. You can provide feedback about the Webinar here.

Exclusively For Lifespan Respite Grantees and Partners

State Lifespan Respite Grantees and their designated stakeholders are invited to join a new networking webpage at ARCH's Technical Assistance Center for Lifespan Respite.

Here you can register for exclusive events, get the latest news, find answers to your questions, and engage in meaningful discussion with other state grantees through topical forums. Just click on "Join Lifespan Respite Grantee and Stakeholder Group" to get started. Don't forget to click on the RSS feeds so you will be notified when new information is posted.

For Everyone—Join ARCH on Facebook and on Twitter @respite1.

  © 2010 Family Caregiver Alliance. All Rights Reserved. No portion of this newsletter may be reproduced without the express permission of Family Caregiver Alliance. 

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