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| Home > Newsletters > Caregiving PolicyDigest > Volume VIII, Number 25, December 17, 2009
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©Family Caregiver Alliance
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| A newsletter of FCA's National Center on Caregiving |
December 17, 2008
Volume VIII, Number 25
Happy and Healthy New Year from the staff at FCA!
** Please Note: Due to the New Year's holiday, the next issue of Caregiving PolicyDigest will be sent Wednesday, January 7, 2009.
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IN THIS ISSUE
State Legislation, Policy & Reports
- Report Examines State Legislation Addressing Employment Discrimination Against Family Caregivers More...
- "The Economic Crisis and Its Impact on State Aging Programs" More...
- New York City: Alzheimer's Adult Day Programs Face Closure More...
Federal Legislation, Policy & Reports
- Senate Bill Addresses Geriatric Workforce Issues, Includes Caregiver Assessment More...
International News
- Ireland: Study Shows Half of Carers Are Over 60 Years More...
Research Reports & Journal Articles
- Report Reviews Training and Curricula for Direct Care Workers More...
Conferences & Trainings
- Aging in America Conference March 15-19, 2009 More...
- Free Six-Week Internet Class for Veterans and Their Caregivers More...
Funding, Media & Miscellaneous
- FCA Announces Awardees of the Rosalinde Gilbert Innovations in Alzheimer's Disease Caregiving Legacy Awards More...
- National Quality Forum Issues "Call for Practices" in Care Coordination More...
- Op-Ed Highlights Caregivers' Plight in Tough Economic Times More...
- "Parent Trap - Baby Boomers Risk Health Toll as Caregivers" More...
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Report Examines State Legislation Addressing Employment Discrimination Against Family Caregivers
On December 8, 2008, the Center for WorkLife Law and the Sloan Work and Family Research Network released a research brief for state policy makers called "Addressing Family Responsibilities Discrimination." The brief describes state policy efforts to address family responsibilities discrimination (FRD) - employment discrimination in which workers are fired, demoted, not promoted, denied employment benefits, or harassed because of their caregiving responsibilities for a child, partner, or older relative. The brief details recently proposed FRD legislation in California, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The brief also explores the growing problem of FRD, why FRD is a policy matter and how FRD negatively impacts both employees and their employers. For more information, visit:
Center for WorkLife Law
"The Economic Crisis and Its Impact on State Aging Programs"
On December 9, 2008, the National Association of State Units on Aging (NASUA) released a report, "The Economic Crisis and Its Impact on State Aging Programs." The report reveals that 70% of states are anticipating cuts in programs for older adults and adults with disabilities in 2009. At the same time, demand for services is rising. NASUA's research shows that nearly 85% of states are experiencing more requests for transportation and home-delivered meals, and 62% are experiencing more requests for home-heating assistance. Nevertheless, the majority of states indicated that they will be required to start reducing the number of home-delivered meals, limiting the duration of services, restricting eligibility, increasing cost sharing and cutting cash assistance. For more information, visit:
NASUA
New York City: Alzheimer's Adult Day Programs Face Closure
A story in the Washington Post reported that New York City plans to eliminate funding for all twelve of its publicly-funded adult day programs that serve adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. Such centers serve as a lifeline for many working caregivers. They cannot afford the full cost of in-home care or adult day services, but they don't qualify for low-income services and programs such as Medicaid. The centers will need to raise fees dramatically or find new financial supporters immediately if they are to stay open. To read "A Lifeline for Families Faces Cuts," visit:
Washington Post
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Senate Bill Addresses Geriatric Workforce Issues, Includes Caregiver Assessment
On December 10, 2008, Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, introduced the Retooling the Healthcare Workforce for an Aging America Act (S. 3730). The bill aims to expand education and training opportunities in geriatrics and long-term care for licensed health professionals, direct care workers and family caregivers in order to better prepare the workforce for meeting the needs of the growing older adult population. Specifically, the bill permits state Medicaid programs to do an assessment of a family caregiver's needs and to provide referral to appropriate services when he or she is caring for a Medicaid beneficiary who qualifies for home and community-based services and who relies on the family caregiver for much of their care. The bill also ensures that health care providers provide family caregivers of Medicare beneficiaries information and referral to community support services at the point of discharge from a hospital, skilled nursing facility, or rehabilitation facility. For more information, visit:
Thomas
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Ireland: Study Shows Half of Carers Are Over 60 Years
According to the Irish Times, new research in Ireland reveals that over half of caregivers of older adults with dementia or mental health illnesses, primarily depression, are themselves 60 years or older. Many of those carers suffer from isolation, depression and sleep deprivation, and they are unaware of the support services available to them. The vast majority (84%) of the carers studied were female, just less than half (45%) were the spouse of the care recipient, and just over half the care recipients were male. To read "Some 50% of Carers of the Elderly are Over 60," visit:
Irish Times
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Report Reviews Training and Curricula for Direct Care Workers
A new report from the Caregiving Project for Older Americans, a joint venture of the International Longevity Center-USA and the Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education, presents the findings of a national review of training programs and curricula for direct care workers. The report, "Caregiving Training in America and Southern California: Results of a National Review," reveals that there is no true national standard for training direct care workers, despite the fact that many consumers assume these workers are trained. The report aims to provide some answers to questions about best practices and innovation in training direct care workers and to serve as a springboard for further research. For more information, visit:
Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education
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Aging in America Conference March 15-19, 2009
Aging in America, the 2009 Annual Conference of the American Society on Aging (ASA) and the National Council on Aging (NCOA), will be held March 15-19, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This conference will feature hundreds of sessions covering a diverse range of topics in aging. With over 4,000 ASA and NCOA members and other professionals in attendance, the conference will showcase innovative programs, foster policy discussion and advocacy, and share cutting-edge research findings. The National Center on Caregiving (NCC) at Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) will host a symposium at the Conference called "Policy, Politics and Family Caregiving: Federal and State Perspectives." The event will be held Wednesday, March 18 from 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. To register for the conference and to sign up for the policy symposium, visit:
American Society on Aging
Free Six-Week Internet Class for Veterans and Their Caregivers
The Stanford School of Medicine and the Department of Veterans Affairs are offering new online workshops for family caregivers of veterans and veterans who serve as caregivers. Eligible participants are in California, Southern Nevada and Hawaii and are providing care for individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or Dementia. The course covers skills that may lead to stress reduction for the caregiver and veteran, self-care methods to maintain or enhance health, dealing with difficult emotions, communication skills, planning for the future and more. There will be a number of classes with varying start dates, filled on a first come, first served basis. For more information, visit:
Stanford School of Medicine
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FCA Announces Awardees of the Rosalinde Gilbert Innovations in Alzheimer's Disease Caregiving Legacy Awards
Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) and The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation recently announced the awardees of the first annual Rosalinde Gilbert Innovations in Alzheimer's Disease Caregiving Legacy Awards. In the Creative Expression category, the winning program is the Culture Bus Inside and Out at CJE SeniorLife in Chicago, IL. It offers people with early-stage Alzheimer's disease visits to cultural venues including museums, a yoga center and artists' studios, as well as expressive art activities such as poetry writing and oil painting. The winning program in the Diversity/ Multicultural Communities category is Apoyos Para Los Cuidadores (Support for the Caregivers), part of the Chesed Project at the Taos Jewish Center in Taos, NM. This program is one of the only providers of caregiver support services to families in the rural, low-income and diverse communities of Taos County. The winning program in the Policy and Advocacy category is the California Work and Family Coalition of the Labor Project for Working Families in Berkeley, CA. In 2007, the Coalition promoted three bills in the California legislature to expand the state's paid and unpaid family leave laws to more working caregivers, and it worked hard to raise awareness among caregivers of the opportunity to take paid family leave. The winners will be honored at a breakfast on March 19, 2009 at the Aging in America Conference in Las Vegas (see above). For more information, visit:
Family Caregiver Alliance
National Quality Forum Issues "Call for Practices" in Care Coordination
As part of its care coordination consensus project, the National Quality Forum (NQF) seeks to endorse a set of preferred practices and performance measures in care coordination that are applicable across all settings of care. The practices and performance measures will be evaluated based on the NQF Care Coordination Framework and are intended to move the field toward shared accountability across providers and systems. The National Quality Forum has issued a call for practices. The deadline for submission is December 30, 2008. For more information, visit:
National Quality Forum
Op-Ed Highlights Caregivers' Plight in Tough Economic Times
An op-ed by Carol Levine of the United Hospital Fund in New York, published in the TimesUnion, describes the impact of the current economic crisis on caregiving families. Levine explains that family caregivers are the backbone of our long-term care system, often providing older adults the care needed to keep them out of costly public programs like Medicaid. Caregivers' needs, including issues related to unstable housing and job markets, must be addressed in order for them to remain in their caregiving roles, saving publicly-funded programs for older adults from receiving an influx of new clients. To read "Home Health Care a Fiscal Casualty," visit:
TimesUnion
"Parent Trap - Baby Boomers Risk Health Toll as Caregivers"
An article in Northwestern University's Medill Reports, "Parent Trap - Baby Boomers Risk Health Toll as Caregivers," highlights the negative impact caregiving has on many family caregivers' health. Caregivers experience higher levels of depression than noncaregivers, and many report worsening physical health. Much of that is due to stress and depends on the caregiver's relationship with the care recipient and the level of care that needs to be provided. The article also points out that caring for someone can have a positive emotional impact on caregivers. For more information, visit:
Medill Reports
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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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