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| Home > Newsletters > Caregiving PolicyDigest > Volume IX, Number 12 June 10, 2009
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©Family Caregiver Alliance
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| A newsletter of FCA's National Center on Caregiving |
June 10, 2009
Volume IX, Number 12
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IN THIS ISSUE
State Legislation, Policy & Reports
- California: Budget Axe Hovers over Crucial Senior Services More...
- Rhode Island: Nursing Homes Protest Proposed Medicare Changes More...
- Texas: Lifespan Respite Bill Sent to Governor More...
- New Factsheet on Vital Role of Home and Community-Based Services in Health Reform More...
Federal Legislation, Policy & Reports
- House Committee on Veterans Affairs Subcommittee Addresses "Meeting the Needs of Family Caregivers" More...
- Senate Special Committee on Aging Looks at Long-Term Care Insurance More...
- "Empowering Medicare Patient Choices Act" Introduced in House and Senate More...
International News
- Canada: Federal Live-in Caregiver Program Recruits Immigrants for Hard-to-Fill Jobs More...
- South Korea: The Costs of Informal Caregiving by Invisible Caregivers More...
Research Reports & Journal Articles
- Study Explores Role of Private Long-Term Care Insurance More...
- Report: Chronic Diseases Take Heavy Toll on Health System and Economy More...
Conferences & Trainings
- Register Now for San Francisco Alzheimer's/Dementia Summit, July 8 More...
- Rosalynn Carter Institute Presents 2009 Scholarship Opportunity for Caregivers More...
- International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD) 2009, July 11-16, Vienna More...
Funding, Media & Miscellaneous
- Administration on Aging Announces Availability of Lifespan Respite Grants More...
- Parade Magazine Praises Green House Model More...
- VA and HHS Team Up to Help Families of Older Americans and Veterans with Disabilities More...
- "Policy, Politics and Family Caregiving" Symposium Summary Posted Online More...
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California: Budget Axe Hovers over Crucial Senior Services
Faced with a $24.3 billion deficit, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing drastic program cuts in health and human services programs, as well as education, parks and prisons. Victoria Colliver, writing in the June 8 San Francisco Chronicle, says such cuts mean thousands of caregivers could wind up with little assistance. On the chopping block are all 11 Caregiver Resource Centers, Adult Day Health Care, In-Home Supportive Services, all Alzheimer's Research Centers, the Alzheimer's Day Care Resources, the Multipurpose Senior Service Program and Linkages (case management services). Health advocates deride the proposals as "pound foolish" since many now served by these programs likely will go into much costlier nursing homes. "State officials acknowledge some of the cuts may lead to more expensive care down the road and that many of the proposals involve walking away from federal money that matches or exceeds the amount the state puts up," reports Colliver. For more information, visit:
FCA
San Francisco Chronicle
Texas: Lifespan Respite Bill Sent to Governor
On May 25, both the Texas Senate and House signed legislation to create the lifespan respite services program within the state's Department of Aging and Disabilities Services (DADS). HB 802, authored by Representative John Davis, requires DADS to implement a program based on models in other states to improve access to respite care for persons with long-term care needs. State and local infrastructure will be built to support the provision of respite services. The legislation now awaits the Governor's approval. For more information, visit:
Texas Legislature
New Factsheet on Vital Role of Home and Community-Based Services in Health Reform
AARP's Public Policy Institute released a factsheet last week, "Providing More Long-term Support and Services at Home: Why It's Critical for Health Reform." This three-page document summarizes how home and community-based long-term care services provide a cost-effective way to address the health care needs of many older adults. A table shows the percentage of long-term care spending on HCBS by the nation overall and in each state. The national average is 27 percent, but the range is vast, from 61 percent in New Mexico to just 1 percent in Tennessee. For more information, visit:
AARP Public Policy Institute
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House Committee on Veterans Affairs Subcommittee Addresses "Meeting the Needs of Family Caregivers"
The Subcommittee on Health of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, chaired by Representative Mike Michaud (D-ME), on June 4 examined how the VA is meeting the needs of family caregivers of veterans. "Identifying gaps in supportive services for family caregivers is the first step toward addressing this issue," said Rep. Michaud. The hearing explored the extent of the VA's current programs in support of caregivers, including pilot programs and respite care services. Rep. Michaud introduced H.R. 2342, "Wounded Warrior Project Family Caregiver Act of 2009," in May. This bill would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a family caregiver program to furnish support services to caregivers of disabled veterans. Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI) introduced a similar bill in the Senate in April, S. 801, "Caregiver and Veterans Health Services Act of 2009." For more information, visit:
Health Subcommittee Hearing
Thomas
Imperial Valley News
Senate Special Committee on Aging Looks at Long-Term Care Insurance
On June 3, the Senate Special Committee on Aging held hearings on "Boon or Bane? Examining the Value of Long-Term Care Insurance." Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI), who chairs the committee, also introduced S. 1177, "Confidence in Long-Term Care Insurance Act of 2009," legislation that would improve consumer protections for purchasers of long-term care insurance. The hearing featured testimony from Diane Rowland of the Kaiser Family Foundation's Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, Sean Dilweg of the Wisconsin Insurance Commission, Carol Cutter of the Indiana Department of Insurance, Thomas Stinson of Genworth Long-Term Care and Bonnie Burns of California Health Advocates. Sen. Kohl, during the hearing, said that long-term care insurance "should not be considered as a cure-all" and that consumers have reason for concern about the solvency of some policies. His bill would standardize long-term care insurance claims handling and transfer policies across states. For more information, visit:
Special Committee on Aging
Thomas
"Empowering Medicare Patient Choices Act" Introduced in House and Senate
Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced the "Empowering Medicare Patient Choices Act" (H.R. 2580/S. 1133) in the House and Senate on May 21. This legislation, now under consideration by two House Committees (Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce) and the Senate Finance Committee, would amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the establishment of shared decision making standards and requirements. It also would establish a pilot program for the implementation of shared decision making under the Medicare Program. For more information, visit:
Thomas
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Canada: Federal Live-in Caregiver Program Recruits Immigrants for Hard-to-Fill Jobs
A CBCNews story in May takes a look at the 17-year-old federal Live-in Caregiver Program that was designed to address a labor shortage in caring for children, the elderly and the disabled. Workers receive temporary work visas to live in their employer's home and work full-time hours providing care. The number of applicants to the program tripled in a recent five-year period, from 3.458 in 2002 to 11,878 in 2007. Most applicants are women and most come from the Philippines. After 24 months of work within three years, caregivers may apply for permnent residency for themselves and their families. For more information, visit:
CBC.ca
South Korea: The Costs of Informal Caregiving by Invisible Caregivers
Young Kyung Do, Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University's Shorenstein Asian-Pacific Research Center (APARC), writes in a May 2009 Dispatch that South Korea's old-age dependency ratio is growing dramatically. It is projected to increase from 12.6 percent in 2005 to 72.0 percent by 2050. Working-age adult children often care for functionally and cognitively impaired elderly parents. While demand for informal caregiving to meet long-term care needs will increase sharply, the pool of caregivers will shrink, despite a tradition of filial piety. Declining fertility rates, increased migration, decreased intergenerational co-residence and increasing labor force participation rates among women, historically the main family caregivers, are the reasons. Using data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, he concludes that informal care is already an important economic issue in South Korea even though its population's aging is still at an early stage. "In most parts of Asia, informal caregivers remain invisible on the policy agenda," he says, "not only because of cultural norms that perpetuate family-centered care but also because informal care incurs no public cost." For more information, visit:
Shorenstein APARC
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Study Explores Role of Private Long-Term Care Insurance
Anne Tumlinson and colleagues report the results of their study of how consumers buy policies, what policies cost, how they work and how regulations protect consumers. "Closing the Long-Term Care Funding Gap: The Challenge of Private Long-Term Care Insurance," a policy brief of the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured was released June 3 (publication 7879). It finds that cost remains a key barrier to expanding the role of private insurance, health risk can deny consumers coverage, and buyers face complex design issues. Both employer-based products and the Medicaid Partnership Program will shape the market, they conclude. Policyholders typically use their insurance benefits to pay for care at home or in an assisted living facility and report they use more paid care as a result of having their policies. For more information, visit:
Kaiser Family Foundation
Report: Chronic Diseases Take Heavy Toll on Health System, Economy
The 2009 edition of the Almanac of Chronic Disease, subtitled "The Impact of Chronic Disease on U.S. Health and Prosperity," has been released by the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease. This coalition includes the American Academy of Nursing, National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) and the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems. "The Almanac of Chronic Disease is the ultimate reference guide on rising rates of chronic disease, and how they are impacting health, health care spending, and economic growth in the U.S.," says PFCD. The report combines peer-reviewed data with expert commentary to deliver up-to-date information and guidance for individual, community, and national action. The 2009 Almanac reports that almost half of the American population (45%) has at least one chronic condition and 75 cents of each health care dollar nationwide goes toward treatment of chronic disease. Chronic disease drives the vast majority of spending in Medicare (96%) and Medicaid (83%), according to the report. For more information and to download the 92-page Almanac, visit:
Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease
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Register Now for San Francisco Alzheimer's/Dementia Summit, July 8
Family Caregiver Alliance is coordinating this free all-day forum at San Francisco City Hall on July 8 to provide caregivers an opportunity to shape public policy and create a blueprint for care in San Francisco and California. For more information, visit:
Family Caregiver Alliance
Rosalynn Carter Institute Announces Scholarship Opportunity for Caregiver
The RCI is now accepting applications for the 2009 Mattie J. T. Stepanek Caregiving Scholarship. A component of the RCI/Johnson and Johnson Caregivers Program, the scholarship provides financial assistance to family, professional or paraprofessional caregivers of any age. Caregivers must be seeking training or education in specific skills, procedures and strategies that lead to more effective care at the same time that they serve to protect the caregiver's own health and well-being. Application deadline is July 1. Four $2,500 scholarships will be awarded. For move information, visit:
Rosalynn Carter Institute
International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD) 2009, July 11-16, Vienna
ICAD 2009 will take place at the Messe Wien Exhibition and Congress Center in Vienna, Austria, from July 11 to 16. Its organizers say that ICAD is the world's leading forum on dementia research and attracts thousands from all corners of the globe, ready to share research breakthroughs in a dynamic international forum. Online reservation closes June 19. For more information, visit:
ICAD
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Administration on Aging Announces Availability of Lifespan Respite Grants
AoA announced on June 4 the availability of $2.5 million in funding for the new Lifespan Respite Care Program Grants. This program is designed to provide family caregivers with more opportunities to receive much-needed short-term, temporary relief from providing care for their loved ones. These projects will enable states to establish, enhance or expand Lifespan Respite Care systems, including new and planned emergency respite services and training and recruitment of respite workers and volunteers. Letters of Intent are due June 19. For more information, visit:
AoA
Parade Magazine Praises Green House Model
A May 31 Parade Magazine article by Susan Fine, "Where to Live as We Age," takes a look inside the Green House concept. An innovative model for residential long-term care, Green House rethinks care philosophy, organizational structure and architecture. Each Green House home looks like a private house or apartment in the surrounding community and provides care to seven to twelve people. Most are licensed as skilled nursing facilities, but some have assisted living facility licenses. Green House has no predetermined institutional routine, enabling residents to be more independent, pursue lifeling interests and develop new ones. If they wish, residents can help cook meals, prepare snacks and help with light housekeeping and laundry. Geriatrician Dr. Bill Thomas, a professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, created The Green House Project hoping to revolutionize eldercare. "In 2001, he wandered into the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation wearing a sweatshirt and Birkenstocks and shared his vision," Fine writes. "The foundation was so impressed by his ideas it agreed to support a pilot program." The first Green House homes were constructed in Tupelo, MS in 2003. For more information, visit:
Parade Magazine
VA and HHS Team Up to Help Families of Older Americans and Veterans with Disabilities
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Eric Shinseki and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced a landmark collaboration on June 4. This partnership will help families care for older Americans and veterans with disabilities of all ages. Its ultimate goal is a nationwide home and community-based long-term-care support program to serve older Americans and veterans of all ages. "This collaboration provides an opportunity to serve our nation's veterans by offering more long-term care, more choices and control over decisions, and by helping veterans to remain in their homes, supported by family and community," said VA Secretary Shinseki. HHS and VA are making $10 million in funding available to 20 states in coordination with the Administration on Aging's (AoA) Community Living Program (CLP). Eligible applicants are State Units on Aging. The deadline for submitting a letter of intent is July 1 and the CLP application deadline is August 3. Submit letters to Joseph Lugo by e-mail: joseph.lugo@aoa.hhs.gov. For more information, visit:
HHS
"Policy, Politics and Family Caregiving" Symposium Summary Posted Online
Highlights from the March 2009 symposium, "Policy, Politics and Family Caregiving: Federal and State Perspectives" are now available online. This symposium, convened by Family Caregiver Alliance's National Center on Caregiving with funding from the Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation and the Retirement Research Foundation, was held in Las Vegas, NV, at the American Society on Aging /National Council on Aging joint meeting. Its distinguished panel of policy experts and advocates included FCA's Executive Director Kathleen Kelly; Karen Davenport, Director of Health Policy at the Center for American Progress; Susie Butler, Director, Division of Provider Affairs, Office of External Affairs, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; Donna Folkemer, Director, Forum for State Health Policy Leadership, National Conference of State Legislatures; Katie Maslow, Associate Director, Alzheimer's Association; Netsy Firestein, Executive Director for the Labor Project for Working Families; and Gail Hunt, President and CEO, National Alliance on Caregiving. "Caregiver advocates and family caregivers themselves must be persistent and creative in making caregiver voices heard in the halls of Congress and in state capitols across the country," said Ms. Kelly. For more information, visit:
Family Caregiver Alliance
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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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