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| Home > Newsletters > Caregiving PolicyDigest > Volume VIII, Number 4, February 20, 2008
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| A newsletter of FCA's National Center on Caregiving |
February 20, 2008
Volume VIII, Number 4
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IN THIS ISSUE
State Legislation, Policy & Reports
- Washington: Bill Would Provide Respite Vouchers to Family Caregivers More...
- "States Lead Push for Paid Sick Days" More...
Federal Legislation, Policy & Reports
- Labor Department Proposes Revised FMLA Regulations More...
International News
- Canada: Editorial Recognizes Value of Caregivers More...
- UN Report Includes Needs of Family Caregivers More...
Research Reports & Journal Articles
- "Emotional Support, Physical Help, and Health of Caregivers of Stroke Survivors" More...
Conferences & Trainings
- Satellite Broadcast: Supporting Rural Family Caregivers March 19 More...
- Caregiving Coalitions Conference March 26 More...
Funding, Media & Miscellaneous
- Applications Accepted for Caregiving Awards Program More...
- "Spouse's Sickness Bodes Ill for Partner's Health" More...
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Washington: Bill Would Provide Respite Vouchers to Family Caregivers
A bill (S. 6222) was introduced in the Washington legislature in January 2008 which would establish a one-time voucher benefit for family caregivers to receive respite. Along with addressing other long-term care issues, the bill would require the state Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) to develop a caregiver assessment and referral tool to determine eligibility for the respite voucher and other caregiver support services, including long-term care planning, counseling and access to other community services. The bill has already cleared two Senate committees. For more information, visit:
Washington Legislature
"States Lead Push for Paid Sick Days"Stateline.org, an online news source, posted an article on February 13, 2008 which highlights movement in various states to establish guaranteed paid sick days for all workers. Twelve states and the District of Columbia have legislation that would require employers to allow workers to miss a certain number of work days with pay each year to recover from an illness or to care for an ailing family member. About half of all workers lose pay and, in some cases are reprimanded, for missing work because they are sick or had to take care of an ill family member. There is also a bill pending in Congress, the Healthy Families Act (S. 910/ H.R. 1542), which would require employers with at least 15 employees to provide a minimum of seven paid sick days annually. For more information, visit:
Stateline.org
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Labor Department Proposes Revised FMLA Regulations
On February 11, 2008, the U.S. Department of Labor proposed revised regulations for the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the federal law that guarantees most workers up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave to recover from an illness or to care for a family member with a serious illness. The proposed regulations would revise the employee notice rules regarding intermittent leave, a policy which allows family caregivers to take off work at various times over a period of weeks and months in order to meet their unique caregiving obligations. The new rules would also increase employers' obligations to provide employees with information about FMLA and address newly enacted legislation that provides family caregivers of injured service members up to 26 weeks of leave. The Labor Department is allowing 60 days for public comment. For more information, visit:
Federal Register
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Canada: Editorial Recognizes Value of Caregivers
An editorial by Elizabeth Payne in the Ottawa Citizen reports that the unpaid work of family caregivers in Canada is valued at $5 billion ($4.9 billion U.S.). In "The work of caregivers," Payne argues for a national strategy on caregiving and highlights the burdens caregivers face, in particular the challenges that working caregivers must deal with. While Canada does offer six weeks of Employment Insurance for those caring for dying relatives, she points out that "many caregivers don't qualify because they have been out of the workforce for too long." For more information, visit:
Ottawa Citizen
U.N. Report Includes Needs of Family Caregivers
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs recently released an advanced, unedited version of a global policy document focused on the well-being and active life of older adults and the implications of an aging population. The "Guide to the National Implementation of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing" offers policymakers around the world practical suggestions for developing policies that mainstream older adults' concerns and incorporate a holistic, intergenerational, life-course approach. The report recognizes the needs of older family caregivers and mentions examples of policies in some countries which support family caregivers financially. For more information, visit:
U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs
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"Emotional Support, Physical Help, and Health of Caregivers of Stroke Survivors"
The February 2008 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience Nursing (Volume 40, Number 1) published an article on a study examining the emotional support, physical help and health of caregivers of stroke survivors. The study, conducted by Victoria Steiner and her colleagues, provided half the participants with an online support and education intervention. Data collected on the caregivers 3, 6 and 12 months after the stroke generally indicated positive effects from the intervention, highlighting the importance of caregivers having an adequate self-care system that provides support and help. The findings also "denote the need for nurses to assess caregiver health later in the caring process and be aware of its relationship to emotional support." For more information, visit:
Journal of Neuroscience Nursing
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Satellite Broadcast: Supporting Rural Family Caregivers March 19
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 called "Supporting Rural Family Caregivers" on March 19, 2008 from 1:00-3:30p.m. The broadcast will feature family caregivers and experts who will discuss the issues confronting rural family caregivers and present possible interventions to address these challenges. For more information and to register, visit:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
2. Caregiving Coalitions Conference March 26
The National Alliance for Caregiving is hosting the Second National Caregiving Coalitions Conference on March 26, 2008 as a pre-conference event to the Annual Joint Conference of the National Council on Aging (NCOA) and the American Society on Aging (ASA) in Washington, D.C. The conference is designed to help caregiver coalitions develop strategies for sustainability, fundraising and evaluation; receive technical assistance from coalition leaders; share best practices and lessons learned; and participate in the launch of the Coalitions Network Advocacy Committee. Space is limited. To register, visit:
American Society on Aging
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Applications Accepted for Caregiving Awards Program
The MetLife Foundation and the National Alliance for Caregiving are accepting applications for the 2008 National Family Caregiving Awards Program, which recognizes community agencies and other organizations that support family caregivers as a significant part of their mission. For the first time, a seed grant of $5,000 will be awarded to a nonprofit organization that proposes to start a program for older caregivers of adult children with physical, mental or developmental disabilities. Awards will also be given in the categories of caregiver education and caregiver support. Deadline for applications is April 15, 2008. For more information, visit:
National Family Caregiving Awards Program
"Spouse's Sickness Bodes Ill for Partner's Health"
An article in U.S. News and World Report on February 10, 2008 discusses research findings suggesting that the stress and upheaval spouses experience when their partner is hospitalized with a serious illness poses health risks for them, including increased mortality. Some diseases create more stress and burden for caregiving spouses than others, with dementia being one of the most stressful to deal with. For more information, visit:
U.S. News and World Report
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?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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