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| Home > Newsletters > Caregiving PolicyDigest > Volume IX, Number 4, February 18, 2009
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| A newsletter of FCA's National Center on Caregiving |
February 18, 2009
Volume IX, Number 4
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IN THIS ISSUE
State Legislation, Policy & Reports
- Georgia: Survey Shows Strong Support for Services for Older Adults and Caregivers More...
- South Carolina: "Programs to Help Elderly May Face Cuts" More...
Federal Legislation, Policy & Reports
- Bill Would Train and Compensate Family Caregivers of Veterans with TBI More...
- Social Security Caregiver Credit Act Reintroduced More...
- U.S. Department Releases 2009 Federal Poverty Guidelines More...
International News
- Canada: "Senior Home Care Companies Booming" More...
- Japan: "Pharmacists to Quiz Customers Over Dementia" More...
Research Reports & Journal Articles
- New Fact Sheet on Direct Care Workforce More...
- Study Examines Effects of Bereavement and Caregiver Support on Dementia Caregiver Depression More...
- Study Examines Scope of Care Coordination for Physicians More...
Conferences & Trainings
- IOM Symposium on Geriatric Health Care Workforce March 12, 2009 More...
- California Council on Gerontology & Geriatrics Annual Meeting April 3, 2009 More...
- Save the Date: FICCDAT 2011 More...
Funding, Media & Miscellaneous
- Health & Aging Policy Fellows Program Accepting Applications More...
- "Elder Care an Issue for Workers" More...
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Georgia: Survey Shows Strong Support for Services for Older Adults and Caregivers
A survey of AARP members' ages 50-60 years old in Georgia revealed strong support for services and policies that support family caregivers and the older adults who rely on them. Eighty percent of those surveyed said it is either extremely or very important that Georgia maintains funding for caregiver respite programs and adult day services. Two in five adults surveyed (41%) have been a caregiver to a family member or friend in the last 12 months, and almost three-fourths (72%) are at least somewhat concerned they might need to provide long-term care or assistance to a family member in the next five years. This recent survey comes at a time when the state is considering cutting social services and programs in order to balance the budget. For more information, visit:
AARP
South Carolina: "Programs to Help Elderly May Face Cuts"According to news reports, South Carolina's aging services are facing potential budget cuts as the state, like many others, faces touch economic times. Meal delivery programs for older adults and adult day services, which can be very beneficial for working caregivers, are among the programs set to be cut. Last year, the state's Office on Aging saw budget cuts that resulted in reduced funding for Area Agencies on Aging and forced the Office to lay off some workers, furlough others and reduce office space. For more information, visit: Greenville Online
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Bill Would Train and Compensate Family Caregivers of Veterans with TBI
On January 23, 2009, Representative John Salazar (D-CO) reintroduced the Heroes at Home Act (H.R. 667), a bill he and former Senator Hillary Clinton had introduced in the 110th Congress. The bill would establish a program to provide training for family members caring for veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI), certifying them as "personal care attendants." Caregivers with such certification would be eligible for compensation. The bill would also establish a demonstration project to assess the feasibility of using telehealth technology to assess cognitive functioning of service members who have sustained head trauma in order to improve their diagnosis and treatment. For more information, visit:
Thomas
Social Security Caregiver Credit Act Reintroduced
On January 28, 2009, Representative Nita Lowey (D-NY) reintroduced the Social Security Caregiver Credit Act (H.R. 769). The bill would allow unpaid family caregivers to claim Social Security benefits as if they had worked for a wage (according to a specified formula) during each month they were engaged for at least 80 hours in providing care to a dependent relative, for up to five years of such service. The bill was introduced but not voted upon in the 110th Congress. For more information, visit:
Thomas
U.S. Department Releases 2009 Federal Poverty Guidelines
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has published its annual update to the federal poverty guidelines, which are used as an eligibility criterion for many federal programs, including those that many caregivers rely on for support. For 2009, the guidelines are $10,830 for a single person, a $430 increase from 2008, and $14,570 for a two-person family in the continental U.S., a $570 increase from 2008. For more information, visit:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Canada: "Senior Home Care Companies Booming"
An article in the Calgary Herald revealed that home care agencies in Canada are booming, despite difficult economic times for other industries in the country. Many home care agencies are posting profits and expanding services to meet the growing demand. Industry insiders believe the boom is due to the fact that government support for older adults is limited and that families opt for home care because it is more affordable and more flexible than placing an aging parent in an assisted living facility or nursing home. For more information, visit:
Calgary Herald
Japan: "Pharmacists to Quiz Customers Over Dementia"
According to news reports, the Japan Pharmaceutical Association plans to ask its members across Japan to help identify customers with the early stages of dementia. Pharmacists will ask customers if they exhibit signs of forgetfulness. If any dementia symptoms are revealed, and if they are not linked to medications the customer is taking, customers can give their consent to be referred to a regional support center that can work with them and their families and help them to see a dementia specialist. For more information, visit:
Daily Yomiuri Online
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New Fact Sheet on Direct Care Workforce
PHI released a new fact sheet, "Who Are Direct Care Workers?," detailing the demographic, employment and income characteristics of the workers who provide the majority of paid hands-on long-term care and personal assistance to older adults and others with chronic conditions. The fact sheet reveals that 88% of these workers are female, 52% are minority, 21% are foreign born, 27% have no health insurance, and the median annual earnings of direct care workers is $17,000. For more information, visit:
PHI
Study Examines Effects of Bereavement and Caregiver Support on Dementia Caregiver Depression
An article in The Gerontologist (Volume 48, Number 6) examines the joint effects of bereavement and caregiver intervention on caregiver depressive symptoms. The article, "Long-Term Effects of Bereavement and Caregiver Intervention on Dementia Caregiver Depressive Symptoms" by Dr. William Haley and colleagues, reveals that dementia caregivers who received enhanced caregiver support interventions prior to the death of the care recipient had lower depressive symptoms before and after the death compared to the caregivers who had not received the intervention. However, the death of a care recipient did lead to reductions in depressive symptoms for both groups of dementia caregivers. For more information, visit:
The Gerontologist
Study Examines Scope of Care Coordination for Physicians
A study in the Annals of Internal Medicine (Volume 150, Issue 4) examined the scope of work involved for physicians in coordinating care of older Medicare patients. The article, "Primary Care Physicians' Links to Other Physicians Through Medicare Patients: The Scope of Care Coordination" by Dr. Hoangmai Pham and colleagues, reveals that a typical primary care physician who treats older Medicare patients must coordinate care with 229 other physicians working in 117 different practices. Each primary care physician in the study treated an average of 264 Medicare fee-for-service patients. This research has implications for policy proposals to reimburse physicians for care coordination, a service that can have great benefits for family caregivers. For more information, visit:
Annals of Internal Medicine
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IOM Symposium on Geriatric Health Care Workforce March 12, 2009
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) will convene a symposium on March 12, 2009 in Washington, DC to discuss the recommendations from its 2008 report, Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce. These recommendations address questions of how to prepare the health care workforce for the aging population in the U.S. Speakers include Kathleen Kelly from Family Caregiver Alliance, Jack Rowe from Columbia University, David Reuben from UCLA, Patricia Volland from the New York Academy of Medicine and Anne Montgomery from the Senate Special Committee on Aging. For more information, visit:
Institute of Medicine
California Council on Gerontology & Geriatrics Annual Meeting April 3, 2009
The California Council on Gerontology & Geriatrics (CCGG) is hosting its annual meeting, It Takes A Village: Toolkits For Effective Practice, on April 3, 2009 at the California State University, Northridge (CSUN). This conference will provide participants the opportunity to explore innovative tools and research designed to enhance skills in care management and workforce development for Gerontology and Geriatric faculty, students, health care and social services professionals. For more information, contact Victoria Muravlenko, MPP at vmuravlenko@mednet.ucla.edu or (310)312-0531 or visit:
California Council on Gerontology & Geriatrics
Save the Date: FICCDAT 2011
The Festival of International Conferences on Caregiving, Disability, Aging and Technology (FICCDAT) will be held June 5-8, 2011 in Toronto, Canada. The event is hosted by March of Dimes Canada and Toronto Rehab. For information about FICCDAT 2007 or to register for newsletters, visit:
FICCDAT
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Health & Aging Policy Fellows Program Accepting Applications
The Health & Aging Policy Fellows Program is now accepting applications for the 2009-2010 class. This program is a unique opportunity for professionals in health and aging to work on either the Federal or state level as legislative assistants in Congress, professional staff members in executive agencies or policy organizations, or to work on a specific policy project with brief placement(s) throughout the year at relevant sites. The nine-to-12-month program selects up to seven fellows, including one who will be designated the John Heinz/Health and Aging Policy Fellow. The deadline for applications is April 15, 2009. For more information, visit:
Health & Aging Policy Fellows Program
"Elder Care an Issue for Workers"
A recent article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution highlighted the challenges many workers face in balancing their jobs and caregiving responsibilities and how many companies are responding with employee services that help workers manage eldercare. Some companies encourage managers to be flexible with employees facing an elder care crisis, and many offer employee assistance programs that helpers workers find and even pay for limited in-home care services for an older parent. For more information, visit:
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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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
?2009 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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