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| Home > Newsletters > Caregiving PolicyDigest > Volume X, Number 3, February 3, 2010
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| A newsletter of FCA's National Center on Caregiving |
February 3, 2010
Volume X, Number 3
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IN THIS ISSUE
State Legislation, Policy & Reports
- California: Report Analyzes Proposed Cuts to In-Home Supportive Services Program More...
- New York: Bill Would Create Grandparent Caregivers Support Program More...
Federal Legislation, Policy & Reports
- Obama's Budget Increases Funding for Caregiver Support More...
International News
- Canada: The Consequences of Long-Distance Caregiving More...
- New Zealand: Report on How to Support Family Caregivers More...
Research Reports & Journal Articles
- Study: Caregiver Stress Linked to Risk of Stroke More...
Conferences & Trainings
- FCA To Honor Awardees of the 2009 Gilbert Caregiving Legacy Awards at Aging in America Conference March 18 More...
- International Carers Conference Call for Abstracts More...
Funding, Media & Miscellaneous
- New York Times: "Offering Care for the Caregiver" More...
- USA Today: "Caregiving Strains Families of Veterans with Severe Injuries" More...
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California: Report Analyzes
Proposed Cuts to In-Home Supportive Services Program
A report from the California Legislative Analyst's
Office found that Governor Schwarzenegger's proposed cuts to the state's In-Home
Supportive Services (IHSS) program are cost-effective so long as they only
apply to "healthier" recipients and don't affect those who would
otherwise need to be placed in a nursing home.
However, the report notes that it is also important to consider that
IHSS is important for reducing the burden on many caregiving families and
improving the quality of life for many Californians. The cuts have yet to go into effect because
they are being challenged in court. For
more information, visit:
San Francisco Chronicle
New
York: Bill Would Create Grandparent Caregivers Support
ProgramA bill in the New York Legislature (A.1840/ S.1557) would create a caregiver support program for grandparents and other older adult relatives who are providing primary care for a child. This new program would create grandparent caregiver resource centers within local Area Agencies on Aging, provide information and referral for grandparent caregivers, provide technical assistance and training for grandparent caregiver support groups, and offer counseling. For more information, visit: New York Legislature
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Obama's Budget Increases Funding for Caregiver Support
President Obama recently released his budget for
Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 which included a $102.5 million "Caregiver
Initiative." The Initiative
includes a $48 million increase for the National Family Caregiver Support
Program (NFCSP), a 33% increase for this Older Americans Act program that had
been level-funded at approximately $154.2 million for the past few years. It also includes a $2.5 million increase for
the Lifespan Respite Care Act, a program
that has only received one year of funding at $2.5 million, and a $2 million
increase for Native American Caregiver Support.
The final $50 million goes to increase funding for various home and
community-based services offered under the Older Americans Act. The Caregiver Initiative was the result of recommendations
made by the Middle Class Task Force headed by Vice President Joe Biden. The President's proposed budget will be
considered as Congress deliberates funding levels for the coming year. For more information, visit:
National Council on Aging
Middle Class Task Force
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Canada: The Consequences of Long-Distance Caregiving
A new report from
Statistics Canada focuses on the consequences of long-distance caregiving. The Canadian study by Mireille V?zina and Martin Turcotte
of adult children caring for a parent or parent-in-law reveals that just over one in five caregivers lives more than an hour
away from the assisted parent; 70% of the caregivers had employment income; caregivers
who lived further from the care recipient were more likely to miss work and
were at increased risk for extra expenses compared to those who lived closer;
and among long-distance caregivers, women were more likely than men to take off
from work. To read Caring
for a Parent Who Lives Far Way: The Consequences, visit:
Statistics Canada
New
Zealand: Report on How to Support Family Caregivers
The National Health
Committee in New Zealand
issued a report in January 2010 which makes recommendations to the Minister of
Health about how to better support and provide services to informal
caregivers. The report's recommendations are
grouped into the following sections:
reducing fragmentation
in the care system; achieving national consistency and
local flexibility of services; raising awareness; improving
workforce capability; and preparing for the future. To read How Should We Care for the Carers: Now and
Into the Future?, visit:
National Health Committee
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Study: Caregiver Stress Linked to Risk of Stroke
An article in the
February 2010 issue of the journal Stroke
(Volume 41, Issue 2) revealed that high caregiving strain was associated with a 23% higher estimated stroke risk, and that this association was stronger
in men, particularly African American men with high caregiving
strain. The researchers studied adults
providing in-home care to a disabled spouse in order to learn the association
of caregiving strain with stroke and coronary heart disease risk across
race and sex. The study did not find an
increased risk of heart disease linked to caregiver strain. To read "Caregiving Strain and Estimated
Risk for Stroke and Coronary Heart Disease Among Spouse Caregivers" by Dr.
William Haley and colleagues, visit:
Stroke
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FCA To Honor Awardees of the 2009 Gilbert Caregiving
Legacy Awards at Aging in America
Conference March 18
Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) and The Rosalinde and
Arthur Gilbert Foundation will honor the winners the second annual Rosalinde Gilbert Innovations in Alzheimer's
Disease Caregiving Legacy Awards at a breakfast on March 18, 2010
at 7:45 a.m. at the Aging in America Conference in Chicago.
The winners will present their programs at this free breakfast event. In
the Creative Expression category, the winner is the Meet Me at MoMA program at the Museum
of Modern Art in New York City. This free program for people with early to
mid-stage Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers offers interactive gallery
tours, led by trained educators, and art making classes to individuals and to
groups from day care centers and assisted living facilities. The winning program in the Diversity/ Multicultural
Communities category is the Banner Alzheimer's Institute Native American
Outreach Program in Phoenix,
Arizona. This program increases awareness of
Alzheimer's disease and related dementias among the 22 Arizona Native American
tribal members and health care providers. The winning program in the Policy and
Advocacy category is San
Francisco's Strategy for Excellence in Dementia Care
and Alzheimer's/Dementia Summit hosted by the San Francisco Department of Aging
and Adult Services. The result of the
summit was an innovative 11-year Strategic Plan with recommendations for
dementia care excellence to policymakers, caregivers, care receivers, service
providers and the public. Aging in America, the
annual conference of the American Society on Aging and the National Council on
Aging, is being held March 15-19, 2010.
To register for the conference or to learn more about the Awards program
and winners, visit:
Aging in America 2010
Family Caregiver Alliance
International Carers Conference Call for Abstracts
Carers UK and the University
of Leeds is hosting the 5th
International Carers Conference July 8-11, 2010
in Leeds, United Kingdom. The deadline for submitting abstracts has
been extended to February 19. They are
seeking submissions from governments, nonprofit and academic programs, third
sector providers and advocacy groups, private companies and educational
institutions internationally working on issues related to the design and
delivery of services for family caregivers. The conference will focus on four
key themes: Health, Social Care and Well-being Services; Caring and Employment; Technology, Design and
the Built Environment; and Financial and Legal Planning, Products and Services.
For more information on submitting an
abstract or registering for the conference, visit:
International Carers Conference
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New York Times: "Offering Care
for the Caregiver"
The New York Times recently published an
article by Dr. Pauline Chen about the need for physicians to acknowledge and
support family caregivers who are active participants in providing patient
care. Dr. Chen pointed out that it is uncommon
for doctors to recognize the role of family caregivers because it is rarely
part of their training and they are often not compensated for the time spent
with caregivers. But, she notes, the American College of Physicians recently released
a position paper on how doctors can communicate with and support family
caregivers. This is a positive first
step in reversing the trend, and it will hopefully lead to more support for
caregivers and better care for patients.
For more information, visit:
New York Times
USA Today: "Caregiving Strains Families of Veterans with Severe
Injuries"
An article in USA Today focuses on the challenges
families face in caring for veterans with severe injuries. It points out that families often sacrifice
jobs, health insurance and financial security to care for injured veterans,
often relying on support from nonprofit organizations and with little help from
the government. Many are holding out hope
that legislation will pass to provide more assistance to caregiving families. For more information, visit:
USA Today
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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
?2010 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.
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.
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