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| Home > Newsletters > Caregiving PolicyDigest > Volume VIII, Number 21, October 22, 2008
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| A newsletter of FCA's National Center on Caregiving |
October 22, 2008
Volume VIII, Number 21
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IN THIS ISSUE
State Legislation, Policy & Reports
- California: Governor Vetoes Loan Forgiveness for Social Workers and Therapists Working with Older Adults More...
- Massachusetts: "State Budget Cuts Imperil Elderly Home Care Services" More...
Federal Legislation, Policy & Reports
- Empowered at Home Act Introduced in Congress More...
- New Medicaid Rule Allows States to Implement Consumer-Directed Services without a Waiver More...
International News
- Australia: Government Develops Charter of Rights for Older Australians Receiving Home Care More...
- Canada: 2.7 Million Family Members and Friends Provide Care to Older Adults More...
- Norway: Adult Children's Labor Market Activity Decreases when Parent Is Terminally Ill More...
Research Reports & Journal Articles
- "Spiritual Challenges and Hope in Sharing Care" More...
- Article: Doctors Need Education about Family Caregiving More...
Conferences & Trainings
- Generations United: Call for Proposals for 15th International Conference More...
- GSA Annual Scientific Meeting November 21-25 More...
Funding, Media & Miscellaneous
- "More Adult Children Support Aging Parents" More...
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California: Governor Vetoes Loan Forgiveness for Social Workers and Therapists Working with Older Adults
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently vetoed a bill (A.B. 2543) passed by the California legislature which would create a loan forgiveness fund for social workers and marriage and family therapists who agree to work for a period of time providing geriatric services. Governor Schwarzenegger opposed a component of the bill which would have placed an additional licensing fee on related professions in order to pay for the loan forgiveness program. For more information, visit:
California Legislature
Governor's Veto Message
Massachusetts: "State Budget Cuts Imperil Elderly Home Care Services"An article in Massachusetts' Daily News Tribune reports that pending state budget cuts will dramatically cut funding for home and community-based services in the state, threatening Medicaid programs that help keep older adults out of nursing homes and other programs that provide frail or disabled adults the services they need to live independently. The budget proposes cutting state home care funds by $6.7 million, the biggest cutback since 1990. Home care agencies are worried they will have to cut back existing services and will be unable to accept new clients. For more information, visit: The Daily News Tribune
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Empowered at Home Act Introduced in Congress
Representatives Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) recently introduced a companion bill in the House of Representatives to Senator John Kerry's (D-MA) Empowered at Home Act (S. 3327/ H.R. 7212). The bill would: ensure that Medicaid spousal impoverishment protections available to couples in nursing homes also are available to those who choose Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), remove barriers and make it easier for states to offer HCBS to Medicaid beneficiaries, improve Medicaid HCBS data collection, develop Medicaid demonstration grants for evidence-based health promotion and disease prevention programs, and more. For more information, visit:
Thomas
New Medicaid Rule Allows States to Implement Consumer-Directed Services without a Waiver
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a final rule that will allow states to use their Medicaid funds for consumer-directed services without a Medicaid waiver. The rule permits states that currently provide home and community-based personal assistance services to Medicaid beneficiaries to allow those beneficiaries in need of help with the activities of daily living to hire, direct, train, or fire their own personal care workers, including family members. In addition, beneficiaries are able to manage - on their own or through a designee - their own budget to pay for needed services, including personal assistance services or other related services that foster independence, including home modifications. The rule will take effect November 3, 2008. For more information, visit:
CMS
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Australia: Government Develops Charter of Rights for Older Australians Receiving Home Care
On October 10, 2008, the Australian Minister for Ageing Justine Elliot announced the government is developing a Charter of Rights for Older Australians Receiving Home Care which will spell out the rights and responsibilities of those receiving publicly-funded home care services. Some of the rights guaranteed to home care recipients outlined in the draft charter include the right to quality care appropriate to one's needs, the right to maintain personal independence, the right to maintain control over and make decisions about the personal aspects of one's daily life, financial affairs and possessions, and the right to complain and take action to resolve disputes. The government will seek input from consumers, aged care providers and other interested groups as it finalizes the charter. For more information, visit:
Australian Minister for Ageing
Canada: 2.7 Million Family Members and Friends Provide Care to Older Adults
A new report from Statistics Canada reveals that one in five Canadians 45 years and older is providing some form of unpaid care to an older adult. One-fourth of those caregivers are 65 years or older. The number of Canadians caring for a senior jumped by 670,000 between 2002 and 2007, fueled in large part by the aging of the population, and now sits at 2.7 million. Caregivers are more likely to be women who are employed and married, and many are members of the sandwich generation. For more information, visit:
Canada.com
Norway: Adult Children's Labor Market Activity Decreases When Parent is Terminally Ill
A Norwegian study released in September 2008 from IZA, the Institute for the Study of Labor, reveals that having a parent in the terminal phase of life significantly affects adult children's labor market activity. The employment propensity declines by around 2% among adult daughters and approximately 1% among sons during the years just prior to the parent's death. Long-term absences from work increase sharply as well. To read the discussion paper, "Informal Care and Labor Supply" by Elisabeth Fevang and colleagues, visit:
IZA
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"Spiritual Challenges and Hope in Sharing Care"
An article in the Summer 2008 issue of Generations (Volume XXXII, Number 2), the journal of the American Society on Aging, discusses ways to foster a sense of meaning and purpose in the caregiving experience. In "Spiritual Challenges and Hope in Sharing Care," Marty Richards writes about the concept of sharing care, in which "the caregiver and the care recipient are care sharers, the emphasis being on communicating and doing practical tasks so that neither the person giving nor the person helped is diminished spiritually." For more information, visit:
Generations
Article: Doctors Need Education about Family Caregiving
A commentary in the October 2008 issue of Canadian Family Physician (Volume 54, Number 10) by Drs. Mark Yaffe and Barry Jacobs argues that primary care physicians are not equipped to respond adequately to the needs of caregivers. Yet, caregiving is something that occurs throughout the lifespan, and it's not just geriatricians and others who treat older adults who need to be taught skills and information about working with the caregivers of their patients. Rather, the article states, "A structured approach to teaching caregiving issues in medical schools seems necessary and beneficial." To read "Education about Family Caregiving," visit:
Canadian Family Physician
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Generations United: Call for Proposals for 15th International Conference
Generations United is calling for proposals for its 15th International Conference, "Because We're Stronger Together," which will be held July 29-31, 2009 in Washington, D.C. Proposed sessions should focus on grandfamilies, programming/ shared sites, public policy and advocacy, and research and evaluation. The deadline to submit proposals is October 31, 2008. For more information, visit:
Generations United
GSA Annual Scientific Meeting November 21-25
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is hosting its 61st Annual Scientific Meeting November 21-25, 2008 in National Harbor, Maryland. The theme this year is "Resilience in an Aging Society: Risks and Responsibilities." For more information, visit:
Gerontological Society of America
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"More Adult Children Support Aging Parents"
A recent Associated Press story highlighted the increasing rate at which adult children are using their own savings and retirement funds to support their aging parents. The current economic downturn, as well as rising health care costs and the fact the people are living longer, often makes it harder for retirees to support themselves without the help of their adult children. As a result, some investment firms and employers now offer services to help caregivers manage their parents' finances and expenses. For more information, visit:
MSNBC
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To find caregiver support services in your state, visit FCA's Family Care Navigator http://caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/fcn_content_node.jsp?nodeid=2083
?2008 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, contact PolicyDigest@caregiver.org or visit the Family Caregiver Alliance website at www.caregiver.org.
To subscribe or unsubscribe to Caregiving PolicyDigest, use the following link: www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=836
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.
Caregiving PolicyDigest is a publication of the National Center on Caregiving at Family Caregiver Alliance, 180 Montgomery Street, Suite 1100, San Francisco, CA 94104.
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