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| Home > Newsletters > Caregiving PolicyDigest > Volume VIII, Number 17, August 20, 2008
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| A newsletter of FCA's National Center on Caregiving |
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August 20, 2008
Volume VIII, Number 17
** Please Note: Due to the Labor Day holiday, the next issue of Caregiving PolicyDigest will be sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008.
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IN THIS ISSUE
State Legislation, Policy & Reports
- Report Documents States' Experiences with Real Choice Systems Change Grants More...
Federal Legislation, Policy & Reports
- Bill Would Improve Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services More...
International News
- Australia: "Boom in Elderly to Exceed Carers" More...
- India: "Prevalence of Dementia in India Underestimated" More...
Research Reports & Journal Articles
- Study Finds Spousal Dementia Caregivers More Depressed than Non-Caregivers More...
- The Gerontologist Highlights Initiative Focused on Direct Care Workers More...
- Study Examines Relationship Between Individuals with Dementia and Their Caregivers More...
Conferences & Trainings
- Annual Lifespan Respite Conference September 4 - 6 More...
- Dementia Summit in Philadelphia September 17 More...
- Satellite Broadcast: Innovative Employer Caregiving Programs September 17 More...
Funding, Media & Miscellaneous
- FCA Releases New Fact Sheets on Vision Loss and Ambiguous Loss More...
- New York Times Article Highlights Respite Care More...
- New Evidence-Based Checklists for Health More...
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Report Documents States' Experiences with Real Choice Systems Change Grants
A report on states' experiences with Real Choice Systems Change grants was prepared for and released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on June 30, 2008. The report focuses on the Systems Transformation Grants, one type of Real Choice Systems Change grants, documents grantees' experiences during the start-up period and their progress during early implementation, and suggests early trends and findings. States that received these grants to reform their community long-term support services delivery system infrastructure include Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon and South Carolina. To read "System and Impact Research and Technical Assistance for CMS FY2005, FY2006, and FY2007 RCSC Grants," visit:
HCBS Clearinghouse
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Australia: "Boom in Elderly to Exceed Carers"
According to new reports, a parliamentary inquiry in Victoria, Australia recently examined the state of caregiving in the country and what it would take to support workers who are caring for their older or disabled relatives. Experts reported that carers need flexible work rights, a special superannuation scheme to help support them after years out of employment, bigger tax breaks and employer-based on-site daycare facilities for elderly parents and disabled children. They also reported that the number of carers is expected to rise as the population ages in the coming years. For more information, visit:
Herald Sun
India: "Prevalence of Dementia in India Underestimated"
India's national newspaper, The Hindu, recently reported that the prevalence of dementia in India and other developing nations is underestimated. According to the article, the criteria originally used to determine whether a person in India had dementia did not provide an accurate assessment, failing to take into account cultural and social differences between western countries and India, and led to an inaccurate count. With better diagnostic criteria, coupled with the aging of the population, experts predict the number of Indians with dementia to grow. For more information, visit:
The Hindu
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Study Finds Spousal Dementia Caregivers More Depressed than Non-Caregivers
An article in the June issue of the Journal of International Psychogeriatrics (Volume 20, Issue 3), "Specific Effects of Caring for a Spouse with Dementia: Differences in Depressive Symptoms between Caregiver and Non-Caregiver Spouses," reveals that dementia spousal caregivers experience fewer positive emotions than other spouses. The study by Dr. Kathryn Betts Adams finds that approximately 25% of caregivers studied suffered from depression, compared to only 5% of noncaregivers studied. Dr. Adams suggests that caregiver support groups, along with education about caregiving, self-care and decision-making might be beneficial for caregivers. For more information, visit:
Journal of International Psychogeriatrics
The Gerontologist Highlights Initiative Focused on Direct Care Workers
The July issue of The Gerontologist is devoted to findings from the Better Jobs Better Care (BJBC) research and demonstration project. BJBC, which ran from 2002 to 2006, was the largest initiative in the nation to address the high vacancy and turnover rates of direct-care workers by improving the quality of direct-care jobs. Demonstration grants were made to groups in Iowa, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. Along with specific findings related to direct care workers' experiences and job satisfaction, the journal includes a nine-page overview that lays out how and why the project came into being, the problems affecting the direct-care workforce, and how awareness of and responsiveness to those problems is changing. For more information, visit:
The Gerontologist
Study Examines Relationship Between Individuals with Dementia and Their Caregivers
In the July-September 2008 issue of Alzheimer's Care Today (Volume 9, Issue 3), Dr. Heather Meene, Justin Johnson and Dr. Carol Whitlatch present their research on how the background characteristics of an individual with dementia are related to the dyadic relationship of the caregiver to that individual. The article, "What is the Relationship Between Background Characteristics and the Dyadic Strain Experienced by Individuals with Dementia?" reveals that selected background characteristics, such as marital status, living arrangement and education level, influence the relationship an adult with dementia has with his or her family caregiver. For more information, visit:
Alzheimer's Care Today
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Annual Lifespan Respite Conference September 4 - 6
The 2008 Lifespan Respite Conference will be held in Des Moines, Iowa September 4 - 6, 2008 and will be called "Home Grown: Cultivating Caregivers." The Conference is hosted by the Iowa Respite and Crisis Care Coalition and the ARCH National Respite Network. FCA's Senior Policy Specialist Amy Friedrich-Karnik will speak at the conference about the National Family Caregiver Support Program. To register, visit:
Iowa Respite and Crisis Care Coalition
Dementia Summit in Philadelphia September 17
The Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health (CARAH) at Thomas Jefferson University is hosting a summit on dementia on September 17, 2008 in Philadelphia. The event, called "A New Age in Dementia Care: Turning Evidence into Practice," is for researchers, educators and service providers to explore innovations and new models for delivering evidence-based services, training health professionals and conducting research to support adults with dementia and their families in home and community-based settings. Lynn Friss Feinberg, FCA's Deputy Director of the National Center on Caregiving, will speak at the summit about caregiver assessment. For more information, visit:
Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health
Satellite Broadcast: Innovative Employer Caregiving Programs September 17
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), is hosting a satellite broadcast on September 17, 2008 from 1:00-2:00p.m. (Eastern Time). It will focus on innovative employer caregiving programs and include presentations from employers and organizations that have developed and conducted successful programs for employed caregivers. This broadcast is designed for employers looking to expand or create services to support employed caregivers, working caregivers, and organizations that provide caregiver services. For more information, visit:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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FCA Releases New Fact Sheets on Vision Loss and Ambiguous Loss
Family Caregiver Alliance has released two new fact sheets for caregivers. "Fact Sheet on Vision Loss" discusses the most common causes of age-related vision impairment, with information on macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts. Current approaches to treatment, the emotional toll of vision loss, and how families and caregivers can adapt their environment and help maintain independence for those affected by low vision are covered in straightforward, accessible language. The second fact sheet, "Caregiving and Ambiguous Loss," explores the conflicting feelings caregivers face as they care for someone with memory loss from Alzheimer's disease or another cause. It outlines the source of the ambiguous losses and includes specific coping strategies to deal with the roller-coaster emotions of caring for someone who is "here but not here." For more information, visit:
Family Caregiver Alliance
New York Times Article Highlights Respite Care
An article in the New York Times, "For Families of the Ailing, A Brief Chance to Relax" by John Leland, describes how respite services can be beneficial to family caregivers who need a break from their caregiving responsibilities. Families are often hesitant to use respite, which can include a care recipient's short stay in a nursing home or other facility, adult day services, in-home care services or even weekend camps such as FCA's for care recipients. There are public programs that will help caregivers pay for respite services, and often these services provide caregivers with the relaxation time they need to continue providing care.For more information, visit:
New York Times
New Evidence-Based Checklists for Health
The Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ) recently released checklists for men and women age 50 years and older with recommendations regarding screening tests, prevention medicine and healthy lifestyle behaviors. The fact sheets, founded in evidence-based recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, are beneficial for family caregivers who are over 50 years old or who are caring for someone 50 years or older to ensure that they are addressing all the necessary healthcare issues. For more information, visit:
Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ) - Women's Checklist
Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ) - Men's Checklist
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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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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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