The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is sanctioning Missouri's Department of Social Services for requiring that consumers be "confined to the home" to qualify for Medicaid-covered home health services.  CMS argues that such a requirement violates the Supreme Court's Olmstead decision, which allows people with disabilities to receive services in community settings rather than institutional settings when appropriate, and that people should not lose their home health services just because they leave their home for short periods of time.  For more information, visit:

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently published Chronic Care: Making the Case for Ongoing Care, a 2010 update of its 2002 chartbook.  It examines the impact of chronic conditions on individuals and their caregivers, as well as the inadequacies of the U.S. health care system to meet their needs.  Authored by Gerard Anderson, Ph.D., the chartbook provides data on the prevalence of chronic conditions - highlighting the rapid increase in the number of people with such conditions - and explains the impact on the health care finance and delivery system.  For more information, visit:

The Alzheimer's Association recently released 2010 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures.  This report provides U.S. data on Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, including prevalence, mortality, lifetime risk, caregiving information, and use and costs of care and services.  This 2010 report focuses on race, ethnicity and Alzheimer's disease.  It reveals that, in 2009, there were nearly 11 million informal caregivers providing 12.5 billion hours of care, valued at $144 billion, to people with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.  For more information, visit:

ARCH National Respite Network is calling for papers for its 2010 National Respite Conference.  The conference, hosted this year by the Maryland Respite Care Coalition, will be held October 24-27 in Baltimore, Maryland.  The theme, RESPITE: Create It!, will showcase the creative ways in which respite care is delivered throughout the nation.  The deadline to submit a proposal is April 12.  For more information, visit:

The Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at UC San Diego School of Medicine is hosting a conference, "Alzheimer's Disease: Update on Research, Treatment, and Care," May 27-28, 2010 in San Diego, California.  The conference offers innovative and practical information for all healthcare professionals.  For more information, visit:

The Brookdale Foundation Group is requesting proposals for the start-up of social model Group Respite or Early Memory Loss programs for people with Alzheimer's disease and their family caregivers. The foundation will be awarding up to 40 seed grants for these programs. The grants are $7,500 for the first year with an opportunity for a second tier grant of $3,000.  Proposals are due at The Brookdale Foundation Group in New York on Thursday, July 1, 2010. Award announcements will be made in September.  For more information, visit:

The National Alliance for Caregiving is seeking participants for a new study of family caregivers of veterans from across the country.  This study is intended to determine how caregivers of veterans are coping and what community and VA services, resources, and programs would best support and assist them with their caregiving activities.  The study will use discussion groups, telephone interviews, and an Internet survey to evaluate the participants.  Caregivers of veterans from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan will be included in the study.  Cash incentives will be available for study participants and the veterans who refer them.  For more information, visit: