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| Home > Newsletters > Caregiving PolicyDigest > Volume IX, Number 21, October 28, 2009
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| A newsletter of FCA's National Center on Caregiving |
October 28, 2009
Volume IX, Number 21
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IN THIS ISSUE
State Legislation, Policy & Reports
- California: Judge Bars Cuts to In-Home Care Services More...
- New Hampshire: Analysis of Home Care Workforce More...
- New State Fact Sheets on Direct Care Workforce More...
Federal Legislation, Policy & Reports
- Briefing Examines Long-Term Care and the CLASS Act in Health Reform More...
- HHS to Create National Resource Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Elders More...
International News
- Canada: Survey Finds One in Three Canadian Baby Boomers Caring for a Parent More...
- Singapore: Number of Dementia Patients to Hit 180,000 By 2050 More...
Research Reports & Journal Articles
- Shriver Report Includes Issues Affecting Working Caregivers More...
- 2009 Survey of Nursing Home, Assisted Living, Adult Day Services and Home Care Costs More...
- The Roles of Family Caregiver Relationship and Day Care Use in Nursing Home Placement More...
- Study: Translating the REACH Caregiver Intervention for Use by AAAs More...
Conferences & Trainings
- Free Webinar on Long-Term Care and Health Reform More...
Funding, Media & Miscellaneous
- "Swine Flu Spread Highlights Paid-Sick-Leave Debate" More...
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California: Judge Bars Cuts to In-Home Care Services
A federal judge recently blocked California from enacting $82.1 million in budget cuts for in-home care, which would have reduced or eliminated those services for 130,000 older and disabled state residents starting November 1, 2009. The judge agreed with the argument that the state's method of determining whose services would be affected was unfair. In addition to throwing the state's budget out of balance, implementing the ruling poses a logistical nightmare for the Department of Social Services, which has already programmed the cuts into its complicated computer payroll system. For more information, visit:
Los Angeles Times
New Hampshire: Analysis of Home Care WorkforceTwo recent issue briefs examine the impact that shifting public funds away from institutional care and towards home care will continue to have on the direct care workforce in New Hampshire. In the first brief, "Home Care Workers: Keeping Granite Staters in Their Home as They Age," Kristin Smith of the University of New Hampshire's Carsey Institute provides a demographic and economic overview of the state's direct care workforce, including the implications of their low pay and high turnover on those who rely on their services. In the second brief, "Strategies to Invest in the Future of the Direct Care Workforce," the New Hampshire Coalition for the Direct Care Workforce recommends strategies that state agencies, employers, and other stakeholders can adopt to build and support a stable home care workforce. For more information, visit: Direct Care Alliance
New State Fact Sheets on Direct Care Workforce
A series of new PHI fact sheets describe the direct-care workforces in several states: Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Massachusetts, Iowa and Vermont. In highlighting the importance of this workforce, the briefs explain that the industry is positioned to grow significantly over the next several years, creating tens of thousands of new jobs. At the same time, direct-care workers in all states face numerous challenges, including low pay and often no benefits. Issue briefs on Connecticut and Maine are forthcoming. For more information, visit:
PHI
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Briefing Examines Long-Term Care and the CLASS Act in Health Reform
In October 2009, the Kaiser Family Foundation held a briefing and released a short issue brief on the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act, which is a little-noticed but major provision in two versions of health care reform legislation currently being considered in Congress. The CLASS Act would establish a national voluntary insurance program that would allow for pre-financing of long-term care through payroll deductions and then provide a cash benefit to purchase long-term care services. The briefing includes a summary of the bill and discussion by two expert panels. For more information, visit:
Kaiser Family Foundation
HHS to Create National Resource Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Elders
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently announced that it will create the nation's first National Resource Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Elders. The Resource Center will provide information, assistance and resources for both LGBT organizations and mainstream aging services providers at the state and community level to assist them in developing and providing culturally sensitive supports and services. The Center will also provide education to the LGBT community about the importance of planning ahead for future long-term care needs. The Administration on Aging will award a single grant of approximately $250,000 per year to a nonprofit organization to establish the Resource Center. For more information, visit:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Canada: Survey Finds One in Three Canadian Baby Boomers Caring for a Parent
According to the Calgary Herald, a new survey of 500 Canadians between the ages of 43 to 63 revealed that 35% of those with a living parent said they devoted an average of 42 hours each month or travelled an average of 225 kilometers a month to care for one or both of their aging parents. In addition, 40% of those who help out their parents said they spend an average of $6,000 CAD ($5,637 USD) a year as caregivers. The adult children caregivers reported providing companionship, transportation, financial decision-making, help with chores and assistance with everyday activities. Half of the caregivers (51%) surveyed said the emotional and time demands were sources of stress, much more so than the financial assistance they provided. For more information, visit:
Calgary Herald
Singapore: Number of Dementia Patients to Hit 180,000 By 2050
Channel News Asia reported that the number of adults with dementia in Singapore is predicted to reach 180,000 by 2050. This prediction was made in an Australian economic report. Dementia is of particular concern for aging countries like Singapore, where nearly 9% of the population is 65 years and older. For more information, visit:
Channel News Asia
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Shriver Report Includes Issues Affecting Working Caregivers
In October 2009, Maria Shriver, First Lady of California, and the Center for American Progress released the Shriver Report, a study which examines women's changing role in the workplace now that women comprise half of all workers in the United States. The report explores how women's changing roles affect our major societal institutions, from government and businesses to our faith communities, and how these institutions and our culture still rely on outdated models of who works and who cares for our families. The chapters in the report are written by various experts, discuss issues that include the needs of working caregivers, and provide data from a poll conducted by the Rockefeller Foundation intended to uncover the experiences of working women in the U.S. For more information, visit:
Shriver Report
2009 Survey of Nursing Home, Assisted Living, Adult Day Services and Home Care Costs
In October 2009, the MetLife Mature Market Institute released its 2009 "Survey of Nursing Home, Assisted Living, Adult Day Services and Home Care Costs." It found that private room nursing home rates rose 3.3% to $219 per day or $79,935 per year, while assisted living also rose 3.3% on average to $3,131 per month. Home health care aides now cost an average of $21 per hour, a 5% increase; adult day services run $67 per day, a 4.7% increase. The report includes average costs for each state, as well as for several individual cities, and includes other long-term care facts about provider training and available services. For more information, visit:
MetLife Mature Market Institute
The Roles of Family Caregiver Relationship and Day Care Use in Nursing Home Placement
An article in The Gerontologist (Volume 49, Number 1) reveals the results of a study that assessed whether the use of adult day care by caregiving wives or by caregiving daughters holds the same implications for nursing home placement of persons with dementia. The study reveals that wives who used adult day care placed their husbands in a nursing home earlier than other family caregivers. Among daughters, those who used adult day care were more likely to postpone placement. "The results demonstrate that factors influencing nursing home placement may vary according to the caregiver's familial relationship to the relative." To read "Wives and Daughters: The Differential Role of Day Care Use in the Nursing Home Placement of Cognitively Impaired Family Members," visit:
The Gerontologist
Study: Translating the REACH Caregiver Intervention for Use by AAAs
An article in The Gerontologist (Volume 49, Number 1) provides information to help Area Agencies on Aging implement the evidenced-based Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health (REACH) II intervention. Dr. Louis Burgio and colleagues partnered with the Alabama Department of Senior Services and the University of Alabama to implement a modified version of REACH II, called REACH OUT, providing home visits and phone calls to dementia caregivers over four months. The researchers found significant positive pre- and post-effects on a number of outcomes. To read "Translating the REACH Caregiver Intervention for Use by Area Agency on Aging Personnel: the REACH OUT Program," visit:
The Gerontologist
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Free Webinar on Long-Term Care and Health Reform
The Center for Personal Assistance Services is hosting a one-hour webinar on long-term care reform on November 4, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time. In this webinar, Dr. Joshua Wiener will examine the provisions on long-term services and supports in the health reform bills and will discuss issues related to more comprehensive reform. There is no fee and no pre-registration required for this webinar. For more information, visit:
Center for Personal Assistance Services
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"Swine Flu Spread Highlights Paid-Sick-Leave Debate"
A story on NPR on October 26, 2009 focused on the debate over the need for mandatory paid sick days at a time when workers are being urged to stay home from work if they have swine flu/ H1N1. Approximately 60 million workers, including many with caregiving responsibilities, do not have any paid sick days. Yet, federal legislation that would require employers to provide paid sick days is stalled while Congress focuses on health care reform legislation. For more information, visit:
NPR
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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 Policy_Digest@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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