| |
|
|
| Home > Newsletters > Caregiving PolicyDigest > Volume IX, Number 9, April 29, 2009
|
|
E-mail to a Friend
Printable Version
|
| |
|
|
| A newsletter of FCA's National Center on Caregiving |
April 29, 2009
Volume IX, Number 9
|
|
|
|
|
IN THIS ISSUE
State Legislation, Policy & Reports
- Report Urges Feds to Look to States and Think Long-Term about Health Care Reform
More... - Maryland: Commission Releases 2008 Survey on Family Experience with Nursing Homes More...
Federal Legislation, Policy & Reports
- CLASS Act Proposes National Long-Term Care Insurance Program More...
- CMS Names Pilot Sites to Improve Quality as Patients Move across Care Settings More...
- "Geriatrics Loan Forgiveness Act of 2009" Introduced More...
International News
- Canada: Senate Report Urges More Federal Assistance for Seniors More...
- China: More Care for the Elderly Is Coming to Rural Areas More...
Research Reports & Journal Articles
- Policy Tool Profiles State LTC Systems More...
- Study Shows Home Healthcare Is Growing More Complex More...
Conferences & Trainings
- World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics, July 5-9, 2009 More...
- "Promoting Environmental and Policy Change to Support Healthy Aging," September 15-16, 2009 More...
Funding, Media & Miscellaneous
- A Potpourri of Updated Web Resources Awaits You More...
- Weinberg Foundation Grants $8.1 Million for Family and Informal Caregiver Support
More...
|
Report Urges Feds to Look to States and Think Long-Term about Health Care Reform
The Rockefeller Institute of Government issued a perspective, "Health Care Reform: Thinking Long-Term," in March 2009 with suggestions for the Obama administration. Author Courtney Burke, Director of the New York State Health Policy Research Center, points out that long-term care is "one of the most sidelined and expensive areas of health care." In 2005, nursing homes, services for persons with disabilities, home-based services, and hospice care accounted for an estimated $207 billion of all health care costs, not counting caregiving to the elderly provided by family members and friends. Burke identifies four state innovations that could serve as models for nationwide reforms: home and community-based programs, the "Green House" alternative for skilled nursing care, consumer-driven programs such as Cash & Counseling, and the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). For more information, visit:
Rockefeller Institute
|
CLASS Act Proposes National Long-Term Care Insurance Program
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) introduced the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act (S. 697 and H.R. 1721) on March 25, 2009. The bill would amend the Public Health Service Act to help individuals with functional impairments and their families pay for services and supports that they need to maximize their functionality and independence. It would provide a new financing strategy and establish an infrastructure that will help address America's community living assistance services and supports needs and alleviate burdens on family caregivers. Voluntary payroll deductions would finance a national insurance program. Beneficiaries could purchase services that assist them with daily activities, such as bathing and eating, as well as tasks related to communicating, managing money, housekeeping and taking medications. For more information, visit:
Thomas
CMS Names Pilot Sites to Improve Quality as Patients Move across Care Settingse
CMS announced on April 13, 2009, the 14 sites chosen for its Care Transitions Project. This project aims, through a community-wide approach, to improve health care processes so that patients, their caregivers and their entire team of providers have what they need to keep patients from returning to the hospital for ongoing care needs. By promoting seamless transitions from the hospital to home, skilled nursing care or home health care, the project seeks to reduce hospital readmissions and yield high-value health care for Medicare beneficiaries. The Care Transitions Project will be led by state Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) in these communities: Providence, RI.; Upper Capitol Region, NY; Western PA; Southwestern NJ; Metro Atlanta East, GA; Miami, FL; Tuscaloosa, AL; Evansville, IN; Greater Lansing Area, MI; Omaha, NE; Baton Rouge, LA; North West Denver, CO.; Harlingen, TX; and Whatcom County, WA. For more information, visit:
CMS
"Geriatrics Loan Forgiveness Act of 2009" Introduced
On March 12, 2009, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) introduced a bill (H.R. 1457) to amend the Public Health Service Act to allow those participating in geriatric health training to participate in the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program. The program provides up to $25,000 per year to repay student loans in exchange for working in a high-need Health Professional Shortage Area. The "Geriatrics Loan Forgiveness Act of 2009" would allow participants to include the time in geriatric training towards the two-year minimum obligation. For more information, visit:
Thomas
|
Canada: Senate Report Urges More Federal Assistance for Seniors
The Senate of Canada Special Committee on Aging released "Canada's Aging Population: Seizing the Opportunity" in mid-April, 2009. The report makes recommendations on countering ageism, integrating care, achieving comparable access to services across the country, eliminating poverty, supporting caregivers, strengthening the health and social care workforce, incorporating research and new technology, and leading by example through taking action for populations under the direct responsibility of the federal government (e.g., veterans and the native Inuit population). For more information and to download the report, visit:
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Senate Special Committee on Aging
China: More Care for the Elderly Is Coming to Rural Areas
The Information Office of China's State Council announced on April 13, 2009, that China will place 2.2 million more beds in service centers for the elderly in rural areas by 2010. According to an article on XinhuaNet.Com, nursing homes, recreation centers and comprehensive welfare centers for senior citizens will be constructed in rural areas, with the target coverage of 75 percent in the villages and towns. China also plans to establish "an integrated service system for the elderly, with home-based care as the basis, community care as support, and nursing homes as supplement." For more information, visit:
Xinhuanet.com
|
Policy Tool Profiles State LTC Systems
In March 2009, the AARP Public Policy Institute released "Across the States 2009: Profiles of Long-Term Care and Independent Living." Ari Houser and colleagues put together the eighth edition of this state reference report to help inform policy discussions among public and private sector leaders in long-term care throughout the United States. It provides comparable state-level and national data for more than 140 indicators, displayed through easy-to-use maps, graphs and charts. For more information and to download the report, visit:
AARP
Study Shows Home Healthcare Is Growing More Complex
"Complexity in Geriatric Home Healthcare," published in the March/April 2009 issue of the Journal for Healthcare Quality, 31(2), reports results of research conducted by Christopher Murtaugh of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York and colleagues. The research team used OASIS data on 5.6 million discharges for patients age 65 and older from Medicare-certified home health care agencies from 2004 through 2005. Their findings confirm that multiple chronic conditions and cognitive impairment are common and result in longer lengths of stay. The study supports the need for geriatric home healthcare practices that effectively address multiple morbidities and cognitive function. For more information, visit:
JHQ
|
World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics, July 5-9, 2009
Every four years, the International Association of Geriatrics and Gerontology (IAGG) World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics gathers experts from around the world to discuss the latest findings in the field of aging. The 19th IAGG congress, "Longevity, Health and Wealth," takes place in Paris, July 5-9, 2009. Among its main themes are "Alzheimer's / Dementia / Cognitive decline / MCI," "Family and care giving / Aging-environment interactions," "Intensive care / Long-term care / End of life / Ethics" and "Social policy and social welfare." On-line registration is available until June 12, 2009. For more information, visit:
IAGG Congress
"Promoting Environmental and Policy Change to Support Healthy Aging," September 15-16, 2009
Sponsored by Prevention Research Centers-Healthy Aging Research Network (PRC-HAN), with primary funding support from the Healthy Aging Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this conference will be held September 15 and 16, 2009, in Chapel Hill, NC. It is designed to address challenges amenable to environmental and policy change; evidence that supports specific approaches and their outcomes; and promising strategies for practice. For more information, visit:
PRC-HAN
|
A Potpourri of Updated Web Resources Awaits You
Looking for facts and figures or hot links to resources about international aging, disability or long-term care? AARP International's two searchable online databases, AgeSource Worldwide and AgeStats Worldwide, facilitate international exchange of policy and program-relevant information on aging. The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has created a website, DisabilityInfo.Gov, for one-stop online access to resources, services and information available throughout the federal government; it also uses Twitter for updates. For long-term care information, including costs of care, check out the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information. To explore these resources, visit:
AgeSource/AgeStats Worldwide
DisabilityInfo
Disability Twitter
National LTC Clearinghouse
$8.1 Million for Family and Informal Caregiver Support
The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation announced on April 14, 2009, that 14 different projects will receive a total of $8,184,145 over the next three years through the Family and Informal Caregiver Support Program. The funded projects include assessment of family caregiving needs, support of respite services, legal and financial consultation, home care services, home modification, and individual and family counseling. The programs provide training for family and informal caregivers on a wide range of topics from communicating with doctors and pharmacists to proper lifting and transfer techniques for injury prevention. The grantees are AgeOptions (Oak Park, IL), Asian Community Center (Sacramento, CA), Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association of Southern California (Los Angeles), Eastern Area Agency on Aging (Bangor, ME), Isabella Geriatric Center (NYC, NY), Jewish Family and Children's Service of Sarasota-Manatee (FL), Jewish Healthcare Foundation (Pittsburgh, PA), Monadnock Collaborative (Keene, NH), Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation (New Hyde Park, NY), REAL Services (South Bend, IN), Senior Action in a Gay Environment (NYC, NY), Share the Care (Orlando, FL), Southern Caregiver Resource Center (San Diego, CA) and Wellmed Charitable Foundation (San Antonio, TX). For more information, visit:
Weinberg Foundation
|
|
|
|
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.
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.
|
|
|
|
|
E-mail to a Friend
Printable Version
|
| |
|
|
|
