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| Home > Newsletters > Caregiving PolicyDigest > Volume VIII, Number 20, October 8, 2008
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| A newsletter of FCA's National Center on Caregiving |
October 8, 2008
Volume VIII, Number 20
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IN THIS ISSUE
State Legislation, Policy & Reports
- California: Budget Finally Passes, Cuts Funding for Caregiver and Senior Services More...
Federal Legislation, Policy & Reports
- CDC Includes Caregiver Questions in National Health Survey Questionnaire More...
- Federal Government Awards New State Grants to Help Veterans and Adults with Alzheimer's Remain at Home and in the Community More...
- Congress Passes Continuing Resolution, Maintains Current Funding Levels through March 6, 2009 More...
International News
- United Kingdom: Research and Analysis on the Experiences of Older Caregivers More...
Research Reports & Journal Articles
- Article Examines Legal Authority and Public Policy in Regulating Payment for Home Care More...
- MetLife Market 2008 Survey of Adult Day Services and Home Care Costs More...
- Study Examines Model Used to Measure Depression in Dementia Caregivers More...
Conferences & Trainings
- Conference to Focus on Sustainable Long Term Care: Ethics, Technology and International Perspectives October 22 More...
- TeleClass for Family Caregivers on Communicating with Healthcare Professionals in November More...
Funding, Media & Miscellaneous
- AARP Posts Presidential Candidates' Positions on Health and Long-Term Care More...
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California: Budget Finally Passes, Cuts Funding for Caregiver and Senior Services
On September 23, 2008, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law California's budget for Fiscal Year 2008-2009 after the legislature was 85 days late in passing the legislation, the longest delay in the state's history. In addition to spending cuts made in the legislation, including cuts to caregiver services, the Governor used line item veto to make over $500 million in additional cuts, many of which impact people with disabilities and older adults. Some of the programs with reduced funding include the Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP), Alzheimer Resource Centers, Adult Protective Services and local nursing home ombudsman programs. For more information, visit:
California Disability Community Action Network
California Governor
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CDC Includes Caregiver Questions in National Health Survey Questionnaire
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently approved an optional state module on family caregiving for the 2009 Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance Survey (BRFSS), an ongoing telephone health survey system. The 2009 BRFSS will include one mandatory question to identify the prevalence of informal caregiving in the states. The mandatory question asks whether the survey respondent is providing care or assistance to a friend or relative with a health problem, long-term illness or disability. The optional caregiving module in the 2009 survey includes nine questions that states can include in their BRFSS survey in order to collect more detailed information about the particular caregiving situation to aid in program planning and policy development. States are currently in the process of putting together their BRFSS surveys for 2009. For more information, visit:
CDC
Federal Government Awards New State Grants to Help Veterans and Adults with Alzheimer's Remain at Home and in the Community
On September 29, 2008, the Department of Health and Human Services announced $36 million in new grant programs to 28 states to help older Americans, veterans and people with Alzheimer's disease remain in their homes and communities. Just over $19 million of this funding involves a new collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide consumer-directed home and community-based services to older Americans and veterans of all ages, as part of a Nursing Home Diversion (NHD) grants program. The other $17 million will go to improve the delivery of home and community-based services to people with Alzheimer's disease and their family caregivers. For more information, visit:
Administration on Aging
Congress Passes Continuing Resolution, Maintains Current Funding Levels through March 6, 2009
On September 30, 2008, President Bush signed into law a continuing resolution (CR) (H.R. 2638) that funds most federal programs at their FY 2008 levels through March 6, 2009. This CR maintains current funding levels for the National Family Caregiver Support Program and other senior support programs. The CR does include additional emergency supplemental funding, including $2.8 billion for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), bringing that program to a total of $5.1 billion, and $20 million more for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). For more information, visit:
Thomas
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United Kingdom: Research and Analysis on the Experiences of Older Caregivers
On September 17, 2008, the International Longevity Centre in the United Kingdom (ILC-UK), in conjunction with NatCen, released "Living and Caring? An Investigation of the Experiences of Older Carers" by Andy Ross and colleagues. The research explores the lives of different groups of older carers in relation to factors such as health, income and quality of life. The report reveals that older carers providing "heavy" care show a lower quality of life compared to comparable noncaregivers. Also, the memory functioning of the care receiver has the biggest impact on the carers' quality of life. To accompany the research, the ILC-UK also published a discussion paper, "Living and Caring for All" by James Lloyd, which relates the research findings to strategic questions for public policy around the demand and supply of social care in society. For more information, visit:
International Longevity Centre, U.K. - "Living and Caring? An Investigation"
International Longevity Centre, U.K. - "Living and Caring for All"
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Article Examines Legal Authority and Public Policy in Regulating Payment for Home Care
An article in The Journal of Long Term Home Health Care (Volume 9, Number 3) discusses the legal issues in the U.S. Supreme Court case, Long Island Care at Home Ltd. vs. Coke, which upheld federal regulation exempting employees of third-party agencies providing home-based companion services from the protection of the minimum wage and overtime pay provisions. The article "identifies the important public policy questions involving the maintenance of a sufficient, competent home care workforce that were left unanswered by the legal ruling," and it explores how informal caregiving and the growing trend toward consumer-directed care is an important part of this discussion. To read "Regulating Payment for Home Care Companionship Services: Legal Authority and Public Policy" by Marshall B. Kapp, visit:
Care Management Journals
MetLife Market 2008 Survey of Adult Day Services and Home Care Costs
In September, the MetLife Mature Market Institute released results from its annual national survey on the costs of home health aides, homemaker services and adult day services. While the 2008 national average hourly rate for agency-provided homemaker services remained unchanged from 2007 at $18 per hour, the average 2008 hourly rate for home health aides from licensed agencies increased by 5% from $19 in 2007 to $20 in 2008. The national average daily rate for adult day services increased by 5%, from $61 in 2007 to $64 in 2008. However, rates for these services vary considerably by region. For more information, visit:
MetLife Mature Market Institute
Study Examines Model Used to Measure Depression in Dementia Caregivers
An article in September 2008 issue of Psychology and Aging (Volume 23, Number 3) examined the four-factor model of depressive symptoms which underlies the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale and is often used on dementia caregivers. The four factors include depressed affect, well-being, interpersonal problems and somatic symptoms. The study found that the model is a good tool for studying dementia caregivers, and in focusing on race and ethnicity, it clarified and extended previous studies of race differences in depression among diverse samples of dementia caregivers. To read "The Four-Factor Model of Depressive Symptoms in Dementia Caregivers: A Structural Equation Model of Ethnic Differences" by Louis Burgio, David Roth and colleagues, visit:
Psychology and Aging
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Conference to Focus on Sustainable Long Term Care: Ethics, Technology and International Perspectives October 22
On Lok Lifeways, which provides long-term care services to older adults in the San Francisco Bay Area, is hosting a conference for professionals in aging and health care called "Sustainable Long Term Care: Ethics, Technology and International Perspectives." The conference will be held from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. October 22, 2008, at the UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center in San Francisco. This conference will provide state-of- the-art perspectives and an important dialogue with internationally acclaimed visionaries in the fields of aging, health technology, ethics and policy. Family Caregiver Alliance is collaborating with OnLok on this conference. For more information or to register, visit:
On Lok Lifeways
TeleClass for Family Caregivers on Communicating with Healthcare Professionals in November
A free teleclass for family caregivers called "Communicating Effectively with Healthcare Professionals" will be held November 6 and 13. The two-part telephone series will take place from 2:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) to 3:00 p.m. (ET) each scheduled day. For more information, visit:
NFCA
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AARP Posts Presidential Candidates' Positions on Health and Long-Term Care
AARP has posted online the results of a survey given to presidential candidates Senators Barack Obama and John McCain on issues related to health and long-term care. Each candidate was able to indicate his support or opposition to statements on issues related to Social Security, enhancing retirement security, making health care more affordable, long-term care and family caregiving. Obama indicated his support for "Providing family caregiving initiatives, such as respite." McCain did not respond to the statement. AARP's position is also included on the survey. For more information, visit:
AARP
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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.
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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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