State Legislation, Policy & Reports 

1. CA: Report Explains How To Use Flexible Accounting To Promote Aging In Place  More...
2. VA: $2 billion Settlement Reached In Olmstead Enforcement Case  More...
3. WA: Pharmacy Repackaged And Resold Prescriptions After Residents Died  More...
4. FL: Managed Care May Mean Longer Medicaid Waiting Lists More...
5. TN: State Will Propose Tighter ADL Test For Nursing Home Coverage  More...
6. NY: Provider Agencies Can Pay No More Than $199,000 If Contracting With State  More...

Federal Legislation, Policy & Reports 

1. Senator Sanders Introduces Legislation Reauthorizing Older Americans Act  More...
2. Labor Secretary Solis And First Lady Michelle Obama Announce Proposed Changes To FMLA  More...
3. House Votes To Repeal CLASS Act  More...
4. VA Caregiver Support Line Celebrates One Year Anniversary  More...
5. White House Announces Larger Federal Investment In Alzheimer's Research  More...  

1. Canadian Nursing Home Tailors Services For Chinese Residents  More...
2. Study: Advanced Care Planning Led To 43% Drop In Unplanned Hospital Admissions  More...
3. Canada: Ontario Elder Abuse Hotline May Have To Close Due To Lack Of Funding More...
4. Ireland: Report Provides Road Map To Develop Dementia Strategy  More...

Research Reports & Journal Articles

1. Clinician's Corner Focuses On Strain Of Caregiving For Wife Of Cancer Patient  More...
2. Study: Elderly African Americans Less Likely To Receive Depression Diagnosis And Treatment  More...
3. Study: Private Health Insurance, Income, Assets Lead To Higher Functioning Later In Life More...
4. Study: Low Social Status Linked To Functional Decline And Socioeconomic Distress  More...

Conferences & Trainings

1. Aging In America Conference 2012 Conference: Early Registration Ends 2/13/12  More...
2. Webinar Series: Applying Best Practices To Diverse Older Adults Feb 9  More...
3. Webinar: On The Verge: The Transformation Of Long-Term Services And Supports More...
4. n4a Accepting Nominations For Aging Innovations and Achievement Awards  More...
5. NIA Accepting Applications For Summer Institute On Aging Research More...
6. Conference: Call For Abstracts For Disability Research Interest Group  More...

Funding, Media & Miscellaneous 

1. Petition Against Caregiver Resource Center Cuts  More...
2. HHS Sponsors Health IT Challenge For Post-Discharge Follow-Up Appointments  More...
3. Consumer Voice: Consumers Asked To Participate In Survey About Home Care  More...
4. Social Media For Small Non-Profits: More Work Or A New Way To Do Work?  More...

Research Registry  

1. Lewey Body Dementia Association Survey  More...

   If you are interested in having your registry listed, please contact [email protected]    

Connect with FCA: 

A report by Mildred Consulting provides an overview of how flexible accounting could be used in California to support rebalancing.  The authors explain that traditional accounting, defined as creating budgets based on estimates of service needs in the upcoming year, can become a barrier to providing the "right care at the right time, in the right place."  As states move to managed care, including for dual eligibles, flexible accounting can reduce the utilization of nursing facilities and provide savings to better support HCBS.  The Scan Foundation, which sponsored the flexible spending brief, recently released a brief on nursing facilities in California, including services provided, demographics of residents, and financing mechanisms. For more information, visit:

 

 
Senator Sanders Introduces Legislation Reauthorizing Older Americans Act

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), introduced legislation on January 26 to reauthorize the Older Americans Act.  In a press release, Sanders cited the 10,000 baby boomers who are turning 65 every day and the fact that one in five older Americans is surviving on an average income of $7,500 a year.  One of the proposed provisions would require the Bureau of Labor Statistics to revise how it calculates inflation for the elderly to better reflect higher health care costs.  The bill would also authorize a 50% increase in funding for meal programs funded the act, and would clarify the legal definition of economic security.   Senator Kohl (D-WI) and Senator Mikulski (D-MD) introduced a re-authorization bill in November 2011 that would include a voluntary grant program to assess family caregivers and connect them to supportive services.  For more information, visit:

Press Release: "Chairman Sanders Introduces Older Americans Act Reauthorization" 

Caregiving PolicyDigest: "Federal Legislation Introduced With Caregiver Assessment Component" 

 
Labor Secretary Solis And First Lady Michelle Obama Announce Proposed Changes To FMLA

First Lady Michelle Obama and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis announced proposed changes to the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) that would affect military families and airline flight crew employees.  The changes would extend FMLA eligibility to family members of the Regular Armed Forces and would extend the ability to take leave to family members of veterans with serious injuries or illnesses for up to five years.  The proposed rule would also change how leave is calculated for airline flight crews.  For more information, visit:

US Dept. of Labor: "Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to Implement Statutory Amendments to the Family and Medical Leave Act" 

Washington Post: "Michelle Obama, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis propose more job protection for military caregivers" 

 
House Votes To Repeal CLASS Act

The US House of Representatives voted earlier this month to repeal the CLASS Act, the voluntary long-term care insurance program included in the Affordable Care Act.  It remains unclear if the repeal would gain any traction in the Senate.  Howard Gleckmen provides a summary of a recent panel discussion on how to build on the CLASS experience.  Beyond technical changes to CLASS to make is work, suggestions from speakers included increasing public awareness of long-term care insurance needs, stronger regulation of long-term care insurance, a home-care benefit under Medicare, and a suggestion to integrate medical care with personal care.   For more information, visit:

Howard Gleckman: "What Happens After CLASS?" 

FCA: "Letter Against the Repeal of the CLASS Act"   

 
VA Caregiver Support Line Celebrates One Year Anniversary

The VA's Caregiver Support Line recently celebrated its one year anniversary.  The Center received 25,000 calls and emails during its first year.  Caregiver Support Coordinators at each of the VA's medical center have responded to over 8,000 referrals through the program.  In May 2011, the VA also began accepting applications for a new Caregiver Support program that provides stipends to caregivers of post 9-11 veterans.  An article in the Sacramento Bee notes that the VA will be required to report in May 2013 on the feasibility of expanding the caregiver program beyond solely 9-11 veterans, who only comprise about 10% of the veteran population. For more information, visit: 

Press Release: VA Caregivers Support Line Celebrates First Anniversary" 

FCA Blog: "2011 Marked Milestones in VA's Recognition of Caregivers" 

Sacramento Bee: "The Conversation: New help for our wounded warriors"   

 
White House Announces Larger Federal Investment In Alzheimer's Research

The White House announced on Tuesday that the National Institutes of Health is immediately redirecting $50 million of its FY 2012 budget towards Alzheimer's research and that the president would request another $80 million in his proposed FY 2013 budget.  The president will also request $26 million in his budget for public education on the disease, outreach to care providers, and expanded support for caregivers.  An Oakland Tribune article published the day before the announcement highlights the need for additional education and support.  A wife who is a caregiver for her husband with Alzheimer's explained that her husband's doctor told her she was over-reacting and to "get a grip" when she first mentioned the possibility of her husband having Alzheimer's.  While the $130 million in additional funding would represent a 25% increase in the current funding level of $450 million, Alzheimer's advocates are concerned that spending on Alzheimer's is still dwarfed by the amount of money invested in research on other diseases.  For more information, visit:

Huffington Post: "A Commitment to Alzheimer's" (Written by former caregiver) 

Oakland Tribune: "Oakland woman cares for Alzheimer's-stricken husband while educating others about it" 

Kaiser Health News Blog: "Alzheimer's Research Gets Funding Boost"   

 

Clinician's Corner Focuses On Strain Of Caregiving For Wife Of Cancer Patient

A recent "Clinician's Corner" in the Journal of the American Medical Association focuses on the experience of a 53-year old woman who is the sole caregiver for her husband who is undergoing cancer treatment.  The authors note that the caregiver burden is complex and includes multiple, competing priorities which can lead to stress and negative health effects.  However, doctors and their interdisciplinary teams are in a prime position to conduct even brief assessments of the caregiver and connect them with resources to mitigate caregiver stress and burdens.  For more information, visit:

JAMA: "Caregiving Burden, Stress, and Health Effects Among Family Caregivers of Adult Cancer Patients" (Abstract is free) 

Study: Elderly African Americans Less Likely To Receive Depression Diagnosis And Treatment

  
A study in the February issue of American Journal of Public Health analyzed Medicare data on diagnosis and treatment of depression for community-dwelling elderly.  The authors found that diagnosis rates for non-Hispanic Whites were 6.4%, while African Americans were 4.2%, Hispanics were 7.2%, and others were 3.8%.  The authors find that African Americans were less likely to receive a depression diagnosis and those who were diagnosed were less likely to receive treatment.  In an interview, Dr. Ayse Akincigil, the lead author, explained that if depression remains untreated or under-treated, it can diminish quality of life while also complicating medical conditions including congestive heart failure, diabetes, and arthritis.  For more information, visit:

American Journal of Public Health: "Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Depression Care in Community-Dwelling Elderly in the United States" (abstract is free) 

 Press Release: "Diagnosis, Treatment of Depression Among Elderly Depend on Racial, Cultural Factors"  

Study: Private Health Insurance, Income, Assets Lead To Higher Functioning Later In Life

A study in the January issue of Health and Social Care in the Community examines panel data from the Health and Retirement Study to analyze how socio-economic status (SES) affects function (as measured by five basic activities of daily living) in older adults.  The authors explain that men had much higher levels of health care coverage, income, assets, and education than women at the baseline.  While black adults had lower initial function, white adults had steeper declines than black adults.  For men, only a higher level of assets predicted a slower decline in physical functioning, while assets, income, and health care coverage (but not education) were significantly associated with the rate of functional decline.  The authors conclude that based on their results linking socio-economic status to functional ability later in life, policymakers should view health disparities with a life course perspective and should especially target their efforts to women.  For more information, visit:

Health and Social Care in the Community: "The impact of socioeconomic inequalities and lack of health insurance on physical functioning among middle-aged and older adults in the United States" (article is free)   

FCA Blog: "Protecting Caregivers through Social Security" 

Study: Low Social Status Linked To Functional Decline And Socioeconomic Distress

A study in the January issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine uses data from the Health and Retirement Study to analyze the impact of self-reports of social status (SSS) on socioeconomic distress and risk of functional decline.  Participants marked a 10-rung ladder to represent where they stand in society (SSS), and functional decline was measured by new difficulty in any of five activities of daily living, mobility decline, or death.  SSS was divided into three groups, and during the four years, 50% of the lowest SSS group declined in function, compared to the middle (28%) and highest group (26%).  The authors conclude: "These findings suggest that self-report of low subjective social status may give clinicians additional information about which older adults are at high risk for future functional decline."  For more information, visit:

Journal of General Internal Medicine: "Subjective Social Status and Functional Decline in Older Adults" (abstract is free) 

Petition Against Caregiver Resource Center Cuts

In Governor Brown's proposed budget for FY 2012-13, he eliminates all funding for the 11 California Caregiver Resource Centers.  The 11 centers are located throughout the state and assist over 12,000 family caregivers annually.  In addition, the state funding allows organizations to "draw down" additional federal matching dollars through Older Americans Act funding.  The CRC's are one of the only organizations with a focus on the caregiver, not the care recipient.  There are 6 million family caregivers in California.  According to population projections, the senior population will double by 2030 to nearly 18% of the state's total population, and according to California's Alzheimer's Action Plan, one in six baby boomers in California is projected to have Alzheimer's disease by 2030.  The California Caregiver Resource Centers began an online petition against the cuts to demonstrate to Governor Brown and the California State Legislature the need for organizations that serve California's family caregivers.  Family Caregiver Alliance, which produces Caregiving PolicyDigest, is one of the 11 Caregiver Resource Centers.  To view the petition, or for more information, please visit:

California Caregiver Resource Center Petition to Restore Funding for FY 2012-13

FCA Blog: "Don't Balance the California Budget on the Backs of Family Caregivers" 

 HHS Sponsors Health IT Challenge For Post-Discharge Follow-Up Appointments

HHS recently announced a Health IT Challenge focused on post-discharge follow-up appointment scheduling.  The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology announcement asks for developers to create an "easy-to-use web-based tool that will make post-discharge follow-up appointment scheduling a more effective and shared process for care providers, patients, and caregivers."  Developers are charged with including an easy to navigate user interface, easy to navigate process for downstream accepting providers, information for patient and caregiver convenience and preference.  The deadline is April 30, 2012, and winners will be notified by May 23, 2012.  For more information, visit:  

Discharge Follow-Up Appointment Challenge

Lewey Body Dementia Association Survey

The Lewey Body Dementia Association (LBDA) is conducting a survey to assess if there are differences in how grief is experienced by caregivers for individuals with Lewy bodies, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease with and without dementia, and frontotemporal degeneration.  The survey will also assess the well-being and quality of life for caregivers of individuals diagnosed with the neurodegenerative diseases. Internet access is required to participate in the study, and LBDA needs 500 caregivers who are currently providing care for each different disease that is being studied.  For more information, or to participate, visit:   

Neurodegenerative Disease Caregiver Study