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| Home > Newsletters > Caregiving PolicyDigest > Volume IX, Number 19, September 30, 2009
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| A newsletter of FCA's National Center on Caregiving |
September 30, 2009
Volume IX, Number 19
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IN THIS ISSUE
State Legislation, Policy & Reports
- Tennessee: "New Program to Provide More Options for Elderly Care" More...
Federal Legislation, Policy & Reports
- Eldercare Workforce Alliance Advocates for Health Care Reform More...
- "Structuring, Financing and Paying for Effective Chronic Care Coordination" More...
International News
- Angola: Advocates Want Laws that Serve Older Adults More...
- Singapore: "Social Workers Call For Improved Caregiver Access to Support Services" More...
Research Reports & Journal Articles
- World Alzheimer Report 2009 Released More...
- Quantity and Economic Value of Family Caregiving for Older Persons in the Last Year of Life More...
Conferences & Trainings
- New Webinar Series on Ethnicity and the Dementias More...
Funding, Media & Miscellaneous
- "Retirement Revolution: The New Reality" on PBS More...
- AoA Awards FCA and ARCH National Respite Coalition Funding to Provide Technical Assistance More...
- ASA Accepting Nominations for Leadership Awards Program More...
- "Helping Elderly Leave Nursing Homes for a Home" More...
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Tennessee: "New Program to Provide More Options for Elderly Care"
The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported that Tennessee plans to implement a new program called Choices within the next year to provide more people with more options for long-term care. Choices will replace Medicaid's current Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Waiver, which gives financial assistance to 6,000 people - and is currently full - and will instead provide the option of home or community-based services to as many elderly and disabled residents as the state can afford. The hope is that people who are currently on the waiting list for home and community-based waiver services will be able to access the assistance they need through Choices. For more information, visit:
Chattanooga Times Free Press
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Eldercare Workforce Alliance Advocates for Health Care Reform
On September 15, 2009, members of the Eldercare Workforce Alliance held a National Advocacy Day, visiting Members of Congress to discuss their priorities for health care reform legislation. The Alliance urged legislators to retain and include provisions that focus on developing and maintaining the eldercare workforce, including loan forgiveness programs for professional training in geriatrics and gerontological specialties. The group also advocated for an increase in the federal match for all home and community-based services funded under Medicaid. The Alliance is a group of 29 national organizations, including Family Caregiver Alliance, joined together to address the immediate and future workforce crisis in caring for an aging America. For more information, visit:
Eldercare Workforce Alliance
"Structuring, Financing and Paying for Effective Chronic Care Coordination"
The National Coalition on Care Coordination (N3C) released a report July 1, 2009 called "Structuring, Financing and Paying for Effective Chronic Care Coordination." The report, written by Robert Berenson and Jilianne Howell, considers the different populations in need of care coordination, summarizes current evidence of effectiveness, describes the various entities that can serve as focal points for coordinating care, and details the possible financing and payment options that can support these approaches. To read the report, visit:
"Structuring, Financing and Paying for Effective Chronic Care Coordination"
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Angola: Advocates Want Laws that Serve Older Adults
Advocates in Angola are promoting laws that would provide services and protections to older adults in the country, including subsidized public transportation and access to medical care. They argue that without such services, older adults become a burden on their relatives and are often abandoned. For more information, visit:
Angola Press
Singapore: "Social Workers Call For Improved Caregiver Access to Support Services"
Social workers in Singapore are advocating for better access to assistance and increased services for family caregivers, particularly given the aging of the population. According to Channel News Asia, hospitals have noticed an increase in cases in which older adults are abandoned in the emergency room by their caregivers because the caregiver is desperate for respite. Medical social workers often intervene and try to direct family caregivers toward services to help them cope with the challenges of caregiving. For more information, visit:
Channel News Asia
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World Alzheimer Report 2009 Released
On September 21, Alzheimer's Disease International released the World Alzheimer Report 2009, which reveals that an estimated 35.6 million people worldwide are living with dementia, higher than the number scientists had predicted a few years ago. This number is estimated to nearly double every 20 years. The report presents the most comprehensive global prevalence study of dementia to date and looks at levels of mortality, disability, strain on caregivers and dependency. It also offers examples of good national dementia plans and includes eight recommendations that will provide a global framework for action on dementia. For more information, visit:
Alzheimer's Disease International
Quantity and Economic Value of Family Caregiving for Older Persons in the Last Year of Life
An article in the September 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (Volume 57, Number 9) by Dr. YongJoo Rhee and colleagues uses data from the Health and Retirement Study to estimate the quantity and economic value of informal caregiving provided to older adults during their final year of life in the community. The authors found that older people who died in the community received an average of 65.8 hours per week of informal care. The economic value of that care ranges from $22,514 to $42,351 per caregiver, which is equivalent to the annual direct replacement costs with a home aide in 2002. That totals $1.4 billion nationally. To read "Estimating the Quantity and Economic Value of Family Caregiving for Community-Dwelling Older Persons in the Last Year of Life," visit:
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
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New Webinar Series on Ethnicity and the Dementias
The Stanford Geriatric Education Center, in collaboration with the California Area Health Education Centers, is presenting a webinar series called Ethnicity and the Dementias. In these web-based trainings, national experts will present useful strategies to assist professionals in assessing and supporting families dealing with dementia. Each session is one hour and 15 minutes and costs $10 without a continuing education credit or $20 for nurses, social workers and marriage and family therapists who want CEUs. For a schedule of the nine classes and to register, visit:
Stanford Geriatric Education Center
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"Retirement Revolution: The New Reality" on PBS
PBS has a new program and online resource called "Retirement Revolution: The New Reality," which highlights issues relevant to retirees and those close to retiring. The website includes personal stories, videos, resources and interviews with experts on topics including caregiving, Alzheimer's disease, Social Security, health care and more. It includes a video interview with Family Caregiver Alliance Executive Director Kathleen Kelly. For more information, visit:
"Retirement Revolution: The New Reality"
AoA Awards FCA and ARCH National Respite Coalition Funding to Provide Technical Assistance
On September 24, 2009, the Administration on Aging (AoA) announced that Family Caregiver Alliance, in partnership with ARCH National Respite Coalition, received federal funding to provide technical assistance in caregiver support and lifespan respite program development to the Aging and Lifespan Respite Networks. At the same time, AoA announced that twelve states received awards totaling nearly $2.3 million to implement the Lifespan Respite Care Program. Those states are Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. For more information, visit:
Administration on Aging
ASA Accepting Nominations for Leadership Awards Program
The American Society on Aging (ASA) is now accepting nominations for the 2010 ASA Leadership Awards Program. This annual awards program recognizes individuals and organizations for their contributions to ASA, to the field of aging, and to older adults. Honors are granted for career accomplishments at all levels, innovative ideas, promising practices and model programs. Awards will be presented at the Aging in America 2010 Conference in Chicago, March 15-19. The deadline to submit a nomination is October 15, 2009. For more information, visit:
American Society on Aging
"Helping Elderly Leave Nursing Homes for a Home"
An article in the New York Times on September 18, 2009, "Helping Elderly Leave Nursing Homes for a Home," highlights Money Follows the Person and nursing home diversion programs. It explains Medicaid's slow shift away from nursing homes as the only option for adults with long-term care needs and towards the availability of home and community-based services. But it also notes that moving people back into the community often transfers financial responsibilities and other burdens onto family members. For more information, visit:
New York Times
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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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