The Technical Assistance Centers are a
partnership between
Family Caregiver Alliance and the ARCH National Respite Network
and Resource Center.
The Centers provide technical assistance to the Aging and
Lifespan Respite Networks on
caregiver and lifespan respite program
development.
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Volume I, Number 3
June 2, 2010 |
Give Us Your
Feedback
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You can further shape the content of the
Newsletter and the activities of the Technical Assistance Centers by telling us about your areas of
interest.
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Key Feature
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Guided Care
This month's Key Feature
showcases for the Networks Guided Care. Jennifer
Wolff, PhD, Associate Professor for the Department of Health Policy and Management at Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, gives the
details. Read
more... |
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Upcoming Events
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To see the
full description of the event, click on the date.
June
June 3: Webinar on
Respite in the Faith Community
June 7: Deadline to apply for federal funds in support of
Lifespan Respite Care Programs
July
July 6: Deadline to apply
for for federal funds in support of programs for persons with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers
July 10-15: International Conference on Alzheimer's
Disease, Honolulu, HI
July 17-21: n4a's 35th Annual Conference & Tradeshow,
St. Louis, MO
August
August 14: Deadline to
apply for the Caregiving Legacy Awards. Applications are available now!
September
September 26-29: National Home and Community Based
Services Conference, Atlanta, GA
October
October 7: North Carolina Respite Care Coalition Respite
Conference, Randleman, NC
October 24-27: National Respite Conference, Baltimore,
MD
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Research & Practice
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Chronic Care: Making the Case for Ongoing Care, 2010
Update Chartbook published by
the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 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. Read more...
2010 Alzheimer's
Disease Facts and Figures
Report
released by the Alzheimer's Association 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. Read more...
"Supporting Caregivers in
Ethnically Diverse Communities: Focus on Alzheimer's Disease"
Article in the February 2010 issue of Clinical
Geriatrics (Volume 18, Number 2) examines Alzheimer's disease in ethnically diverse
communities, with a focus on supporting family caregivers. Read more...
"Baby Boomers'
Caregiving Duties Impact Jobs and Health"
Study by The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. and
ComPsych Corporation reveals "the demands of balancing a full-time job and caring for an
injured or ill family member is a major source of stress for many Baby Boomers and is
impacting their productivity and their health." Read more...
Cost of Care Survey,
2010 Survey by Genworth Financial reveals that the costs
for all types of long-term care, including home and community-based care and residential
care, have increased to varying degrees in recent years." Read more...
Survey on Older
Adults Experience with Care Coordination from Health
Professionals
Survey by the Campaign for Better
Care reveals that "most older adults, and particularly those with multiple chronic
conditions, have experienced poor care coordination and a lack of information because their
doctors aren't talking to each other or to
them."
Read more...
"Greater Risk of Dementia
when Spouse has Dementia? The Cache County Study" Study released in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, tracked
229 couples when one was diagnosed with dementia and found that their spousal caregivers
had a six times greater risk for developing dementia than for those couples without a
diagnosis of
dementia.
Read more...
New on FCA's website: FCA
Blogs! Kathleen Kelly, Executive Director, and a number of dedicated FCA staff
writers will cover in their blogs the issues they are most passionate about: emerging
public policy, excellence in caregiver interventions, recognition of family caregivers in
the media and numerous others. Join the discussion and
post a comment of your own.
Give Us Your
Feedback You can further shape the content of the Newsletter and
the activities of the Technical Assistance Centers by telling us about your areas of
interest. Please respond to our brief questionnaire here.
Innovations Clearinghouse
on Family Caregiving For more research based and research
informed practices, visit FCA's Innovations Clearinghouse/Online Technical Assistance Center. Search
the Clearinghouse to identify best practices, specific tools and policy & advocacy efforts;
connect with fellow professionals from the aging networks; and request specialized
technical assistance.
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Lifespan Respite News
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Getting to know the Lifespan Respite Partners
(Second in a continuing
series)
The deadline to apply for the 2010 grants from the US Administration on
Aging for Lifespan Respite Care programs is June 7. As the Networks apply for this new
round of grants, this series of articles highlights the elements that made the 2009 state
grantees successful and underscores the importance of partnerships in the Lifespan Respite
Act. Read more...
Give ARCH your
Feedback We Need Your
Input! The AoA funded Lifespan Respite Training and Technical Assistance Project of the
ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center would greatly appreciate your input in
planning its training and TA activities. Please take a moment to respond to our online
questionnaire by clicking here.
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Family Caregiver Alliance
| National Center on Caregiving
180 Montgomery Street,
Suite 1100
San Francisco, CA
94104
(800) 445-8106
www.caregiver.org
ARCH National Respite Network and
Resource Center
4016 Oxford
Street
Annandale, VA 22003
(703) 256-2084
www.archrespite.org
|
This project is supported, in part, under a grant from the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, Administration on Aging. Grantees undertaking projects under government
sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. These
contents, however, do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services and endorsement by the Federal Government should not be assumed.
© 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, visit the Family Caregiver
Alliance website at www.caregiver.org.
To subscribe or unsubscribe to the
Newsletter of the Technical Assistance Centers, use the following link: www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=2366
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.
The
Newsletter of the Technical Assistance Centers 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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Key Feature
Guided Care
Developed specifically for people with multiple chronic conditions, Guided Care is a
new model of care that was
designed to improve the quality of patients' care, reduce the use and cost of expensive
services, reduce family caregiver
strain, and improve physicians' satisfaction with chronic care delivery. At the heart of
the intervention is a Guided Care
Nurse who partners with the patient's primary care physician and completes a comprehensive
assessment and care planning
process, educates and empowers patients and families, monitors patients' conditions
monthly, and coordinates the efforts of
health care professionals, hospitals, and community agencies to be sure that no important
health-related need slips through
the cracks and that the patient's healthcare goals are met. This month on Key Feature,
Jennifer Wolff, PhD, Associate
Professor for the Department of Health Policy and Management at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health, answers
questions about Guided
Care.
Upcoming Events
Webinar on Respite in the Faith Community
June 3, 2010
This webinar will explore some of the history of faith-based respite, as well as recent
innovations. The webinar is sponsored by the ARCH National Respite Network and Resource
Center through its Lifespan Respite Training and Technical Assistance Center that is funded
by the US Administration on Aging. Participation is open to all.
Confirmed speakers include Carolyn Klaver, RN, Coordinator of the prize-winning respite
program "The Gathering" for Lyngblomsten, and Wilfried C. Hoecke, director of the South
Carolina Family to Family Health Information and Education Grant at Family Connection.
Reserve your
Webinar seat here!
AoA Announces Availability of Approximately $2.25 Million for Lifespan Respite Care
Programs
DEADLINE to apply is June 7, 2010
The U.S. Administration on Aging is announcing the availability of approximately $2.25
million for implementation of the requirements of the Lifespan Respite Care Act of 2006.
These projects will enable states to establish, enhance or expand Lifespan Respite Care
systems, including new and planned emergency respite services, training and recruitment of
respite workers and volunteers and assist caregivers with gaining access to needed respite
services.
Under the 2010 "Lifespan Respite Care Program" announcement, AoA will award
approximately ten to fifteen grants to states with federal funding up to $200,000 each for
three-year project periods. AoA will fund projects that propose to serve all eligible
respite recipients, including family members, foster parents, or other adults providing
unpaid care to adults needing care to meet basic daily needs or prevent injury and to
children who require care beyond that required to meet their basic needs. Over the course
of these projects, states will work to expand and enhance respite care services to family
members; improve the statewide dissemination and coordination of respite care; and provide,
supplement, or improve access and quality of respite care services to family caregivers,
thereby reducing family caregiver strain.
This is a limited grant competition. Awards will only be made to eligible state agencies
who: administer the states program under the Older Americans Act of 1965; or administer
title XIX of the social Security Act; or are designated by the Governor of the state to
administer the State's programs under this title who are an aging and disability resource
center working in collaboration with a state respite coalition or organization, AND who are
not currently funded under the Lifespan Respite Care Program.
The closing date for applications for this announcement is Monday, June 7, 2010. The
deadline for submission of a letter of intent to apply for funding is Friday, May 7, 2010.
Letters should be submitted by facsimile or e-mail to Greg Link at greg.link@aoa.hhs.gov or
(202) 357-3558 (Fax). To learn more about this opportunity, please click here.
Alzheimer's Disease Supportive Services Program: Program Announcement by AoA
Deadline to apply is July 6, 2010
The U.S. Administration on Aging announced the availability of funds to states for the
enhancement of supports and services for persons with Alzheimer's disease and related
dementias (ADRD). Through these grants states will have the opportunity to demonstrate how
the New York University Caregiver Intervention (NYUCI), Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's
Caregiver Health Intervention (REACH II) and Savvy Caregiver Interventions, that help
family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders (ADRD), can be
translated into effective programs at the community-level.
The deadline to apply is July 6, 2010. Letters of Intent, though not required, should be
submitted by Friday, June 11, 2010 to shannon.skowronski@aoa.hhs.gov. For more information,
visit the website of the U.S. Administration
on Aging.
International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease
July 10-15, 2010
The Alzheimer's Association's 2010 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease
(ICAD) will be July 10-15 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The conference will focus on epidemiology
and risk factors, genetics, diagnosis, prevention and other research. Register by May 14
for discounted registration rates. For more information, visit the website of the Alzheimer's Association.
n4a's 35th Annual Conference & Tradeshow, St. Louis, MO
July 17-21, 2010
The n4a 2010 annual conference and tradeshow will showcase innovative policies, programs
and services that assist older adults and people with disabilities. Register for the conference here.
Caregiving Legacy Awards: Applications Available Now!
DEADLINE to apply is August 12, 2010
Prizes for Innovative Caregiver Programs in: Policy & Advocacy, Diverse Communities, and
Creative Expression.
Nonprofit organizations, government agencies and universities are invited to apply for
the 2010 Rosalinde Gilbert Innovations in Alzheimer's Disease Caregiving Legacy Awards. The
deadline to apply is August 12, 2010, 5:00 pm PST.
With generous support from The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation, three awards of
$20,000 each will be given to organizations to recognize unique programs that address the
needs of Alzheimer's caregivers. One award will be granted in each of these categories:
- Diverse/Multicultural Communities
- Creative Expression
- Policy and Advocacy
The National Center on Caregiving at Family Caregiver Alliance is overseeing this
national awards program. To see the details about the awards and access the online
application, visit FCA's website.
National Home and Community Based Services Conference
September 26-29, 2010
The National Association of State Units on Aging (NASUA) is hosting the 26th National
Home and Community Based Services Conference September 26-29, 2010 in Atlanta Georgia. The
conference will showcase national, state and local delivery and policy developments vital
for assuring Americans of all ages and abilities receive the highest quality community
living supports, care, and services possible. Registration for the conference is now open.
For more information, visit the website of the National Home and Community Based Services Conference.
North Carolina Respite Care Coalition Respite Conference, Randleman, NC
October 7, 2010
The North Carolina Respite Care Coalition will host a Respite Conference with a focus on
Growing Great Respite with Limited Funding. Speakers include W.C. Hoecke with Family
Connections in South Carolina and Kelly Tipler with Tennessee Respite Coalition. In
addition, exceptional North Carolina Respite Programs will be highlighted in special
presentations.
For more information visit the Coalition's
website and contact Jane Macleod by regular mail at North Carolina Respite and Crisis
Care Coalition PO Box 165, Gibsonville, NC 27249 or send her an email at
jane.macleod@nc.eastersealsucp.com.
National Respite Conference, Baltimore, MD
October 24-27, 2010
The Maryland Respite Care Coalition in partnership with the ARCH National Respite
Network will host the National Respite Conference October 24-27, 2010 at the Sheraton
Baltimore City Center Hotel in Baltimore, MD. The theme is RESPITE: Create It and is
a call for advocates and professionals to showcase the creative ways in which Respite Care
is delivered throughout the nation.
This conference is intended for everyone who supports family members and caregivers of
individuals across the Lifespan. This is an especially exciting year as the new
federally-funded Lifespan Respite States and the 20th Anniversary of ARCH are
celebrated.
For more information on the conference, visit the ARCH website.
Research and Practice
Chronic Care: Making the Case for Ongoing Care, 2010 Update
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:
Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation
2010 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures
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:
Alzheimer's
Association.
"Supporting Caregivers in Ethnically Diverse Communities: Focus on Alzheimer's
Disease"
An article in the February 2010 issue of Clinical Geriatrics (Volume 18, Number 2)
examines Alzheimer's disease in
ethnically diverse communities, with a focus on supporting family caregivers. The article
emphasizes that physicians
treating Alzheimer's patients should also pay attention to the needs of their caregivers,
and it describes various
interventions for improving caregiver well-being and reducing caregiver stress. To read
"Supporting Caregivers in
Ethnically Diverse Communities: Focus on Alzheimer's Disease" by Dr. Patrick Griffith,
visit: Clinical Geriatrics.
Survey: "Baby Boomers' Caregiving Duties Impact Jobs and Health"
Business Wire reports that a new research study by The Hartford Financial Services
Group, Inc. and ComPsych Corporation
reveals that "the demands of balancing a full-time job and caring for an injured or ill
family member is a major source of
stress for many Baby Boomers and is impacting their productivity and their health." The
study, which surveyed ComPsych
employees who had accessed the company's Employee Assistance Program, found that "younger
Baby Boomers, ages 45 to 54, are
carrying the largest burden of family care responsibilities, with more than half saying
they've taken time off from work due
to their caregiving responsibilities." The article offers recommendations to employers on
how they can help relieve the
pressure felt by working caregivers. For more information, visit: The Hartford.
Cost of Care Survey, 2010
In April, Genworth Financial released its 2010 Cost of Care Survey which reveals that
the costs for all types of
long-term care, including home and community-based care and residential care, have
increased to varying degrees in recent
years. The survey reports on the average rates of home care providers, adult day health
care, assisted living facilities
and nursing homes by region, state, and in many cases, metropolitan area. This year's
report is one of the most extensive
surveys of this type to date. It reveals that, overall, the cost of care among
facility-based providers has steadily
increased, while "non-skilled care"-related home care costs have remained relatively flat.
For more information, visit:
Genworth Financial.
Survey on Older Adults Experience with Care Coordination from Health Professionals
The Campaign for Better Care recently released a survey that reveals that "most older
adults, and particularly those with
multiple chronic conditions, have experienced poor care coordination and a lack of
information because their doctors aren't
talking to each other or to them." The survey of adults age 50 and older finds that three
in four respondents (74%) have
wished that their doctors talked and shared information with each other. This issue
impacts family caregivers, who are
often the advocate and act as the care coordinator for adults with dementia or multiple
chronic conditions. For more
information, visit: Campaign for Better Care.
"Greater Risk of Dementia when Spouse has Dementia? The Cache County Study"
A new study released in May in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (Volume
58), tracked 229 couples when one
was diagnosed with dementia and found that their spousal caregivers had a six times greater
risk for developing dementia
than for those couples without a diagnosis of dementia. The study did not look at why this
might be happening but rather
focused on the increased risk factor for developing dementia for spousal caregivers.
Kathleen A Kelly, Executive Director,
Family Caregiver Alliance, offers insight on the findings of this study in FCA's blog. To read the
article visit: JAGS.
New on FCA's website: FCA Blogs!
Kathleen Kelly, Executive Director, and a number of dedicated FCA staff writers will
cover in their blogs the issues they are most passionate about: emerging public policy,
excellence in caregiver interventions, recognition of family caregivers in the media and
numerous others. Join the discussion and post a comment of your own.
Give Us Your Feedback
You can further shape the content of the Newsletter and the activities of the Technical
Assistance Centers by
telling us about your areas of interest. Please respond to our brief questionnaire here.
Innovations Clearinghouse on Family Caregiving
For more research based and research informed practices, visit FCA's Innovations
Clearinghouse/Online Technical Assistance Center.
Search
the Clearinghouse to identify best practices, specific tools and policy & advocacy efforts;
connect
with fellow professionals from the aging networks; and
request specialized technical assistance.
Lifespan Respite News
Getting to Know the Lifespan Respite State Grantees and Stakeholders
(Second in a continuing series)
The first twelve Lifespan Respite grantees are off to a great start! This article
highlights the primary activities of
Alabama, Arizona and Illinois as they work to implement Lifespan Respite Care Programs in
their states. The article also
focuses on the roles of the state respite coalition/organization and the Aging and
Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) in
each project.
Alabama
Lead Agency and Primary Collaborators
AL Dept of Senior Services (ADSS), in partnership with the Alabama Lifespan Respite
Resource Network (Alabama Respite), the
Alabama Respite Coalition (Coalition), and the Alabama Disability Resource Centers
(ADRC).
Main Activities
The main activities of the Alabama Lifespan Respite program will initially be a statewide
respite awareness public education
campaign and resource development for family caregivers who do not qualify for respite
assistance under any current federal
or state program. ADSS plans to accomplish this though enhanced capacity of one of its
primary collaborators, the Alabama
Lifespan Respite Resource Network (Alabama Respite).
Alabama Respite's history is important because it is the foundation on which the AL
Lifespan Respite Program will be
built. The Network has been in existence since 2001, when the Alabama Council for
Developmental Disabilities awarded a
single-point of contact grant for respite services for caregivers of children with
disabilities up to age 19 to United
Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Huntsville and Tennessee Valley, Inc. UCP convened a task force of
over 45 caregivers, disability
organizations, churches, and state agencies to develop a directory of respite services in
Alabama. The first step for the
taskforce was the development of a strategic plan, from which a project management plan
emerged. The project was called
Alabama Respite Resource Network. A respite resource directory was produced, a toll free
number for caregivers was
initiated, and a web site was developed that allowed county-by-county access to all known
resources
(www.alabamarespite.org).
In 2003, the project expanded to cover all ages and disabilities and became known as the
Alabama Lifespan Respite
Network. In 2006, state funding allowed Alabama Respite to provide voucher respite. Alabama
Respite is currently
administering over $100,000 in funding from the state Department of Mental Health to offer
voucher respite to children and
adults with developmental disabilities and/or intellectual disabilities, as well as funding
from the Children's Trust Fund
of Alabama. The initial Task Force, which met for several years to conduct oversight of the
project, has largely disbanded,
but in 2009, the state legislature established the Alabama Respite Coalition and appointed
the members of the Coalition.
The Alabama Respite Coalition also assists with the Lifespan Respite project.
The primary goal of Alabama's current federally funded Lifespan Respite Program is to
provide a statewide,
comprehensive, and coordinated approach to meet the respite care needs of Alabama family
caregivers of individuals with
disabilities and chronic conditions regardless of age, income, race, ethnicity, special
needs, or situation. To
accomplish this goal, the program is 1) planning a respite awareness public education
campaign statewide for caregivers,
agencies, and the general public; 2) undertaking new local and state grant possibilities,
grant collaboration between
partners, and resource development for gap populations to increase respite services; 3)
enhancing the capacity of the
Alabama Respite; 4) identifying all agencies and resources currently providing respite
funding and linking caregivers to
them; and 5) identifying all caregiver training programs and linking caregivers to these
resources.
State Respite Coalition Role
The State Respite Coalition was established by the state law in 2009, and includes
legislatively mandated members from the
state legislature, the Governor's Office on Disability, the Dept of Senior Services and
other state agencies, the
Children's Trust Fund, the Council for Developmental Disabilities, as well as
representatives from a UCP affiliate, a state
advocacy or support group, a training partner, a community respite initiative, two family
caregivers, two respite providers,
the Autism Society, Hospice, Home Health, and Research and Grant Support. The Coalition
formed three workgroups (education
and training of providers and caregivers; capacity building; and state databases) to assist
with program planning and
implementation and will be working collaboratively with all Coalition partners to recruit
and train respite care workers and
volunteers.
Aging and Disability Resource Center Role
One of the objectives of the state program is to expand the training and capacity of the
Aging and Disability Resource
Center (ADRC) staff and the statewide virtual ADRC, known as Alabama
Connect, to include lifespan respite resources. All ADRC staff will be trained on
respite issues and the resource of
Alabama Respite for families. Alabama Connect will house the Alabama Lifespan Respite
Network website, but Alabama Respite
will remain the point of contact for families.
AL State Lead Contact:
Julie Miller
Programs Division Chief
Alabama Department of Senior Services
770 Washington Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36130
Phone: (334) 353-9285
Fax: (334) 353-8467
Toll Free: (877) 425-2243
Julie.Miller@adss.alabama.gov
Arizona
Lead Agency and Primary Collaborators: AZ Dept of Economic Security, Division of Aging
and Adult Services (ADES-DAAS), in
partnership with aging network, disability community, AZ Caregiver Coalition, and AZ State
University.
Main Activities
The Arizona Lifespan Respite Program grant project will continue to develop the Arizona
Lifespan Respite Care Program
(LRCP), which was established by state statute in 2007, and provide public awareness
related to the value and importance of
respite care across the lifespan throughout the state. The program is working to expand the
reach of the LRCP to include all
caregivers that could benefit from respite care, including caregivers of the aging
population, individuals with
disabilities, and children with special needs.
One major activity is the finalization and implementation of a new Caregiver Assessment
Tool (CAT) developed by Arizona
State University. The CAT was originally developed as part of the state funded LRCP in
2008. The proposed pilot program for
the CAT would utilize Older Americans Act, Title III-E (National Family Caregiver Support
Program) funding to support
respite care provision for caregivers assessed with the new CAT. The new assessment tool is
currently being used in four
area agency on aging (AAA) regions, and has gathered data on over 80 caregivers from the
III-E funded pilot program.
The second major activity will involve respite service delivery through selected AAAs to
85 caregivers from two
specifically targeted populations of caregivers. The first targeted population is
caregivers of children with special needs.
This will allow the AAAs to continue to make the connections needed to serve these
caregivers and will help solidify
emerging partnerships that have been developed as part the Arizona Aging and Disability
Resource Center (ADRC). ADES-DAAS
offered a funding opportunity in February 2010, and recently awarded $75,000 to the AAA in
Maricopa County to begin respite
service delivery on July 1, with the goal of expanding to other AAAs as funding allows.
Caregivers identified in a new referral process being developed in conjunction with
Adult Protective Services (APS) will
provide a second specific population of caregivers that will be targeted by this project.
Initial meetings were held in
February with staff from APS and leaders of the Lifespan Respite Care Network (LRCN) to lay
the groundwork for the referral
protocols to be used to identify caregivers at risk of becoming involved in abusive
situations. The development of the data
sharing agreements necessary for APS caseworkers to refer caregivers to the LRCP partners
is the next step in the
development process.
The third major component of the Arizona LRCP grant project is the development of a
public awareness campaign about
lifespan respite and the establishment of a toll-free statewide Caregiver Hotline to
provide caregivers across Arizona a
simple way to find out about and access supportive services, including respite. This
hotline will eventually become embedded
as part of AZ Links, the Arizona ADRC project. A public relations company will be hired for
the awareness campaign and a
volunteer coordinator will be hired to guide the development of the statewide hotline. The
hotline's design will resemble
the volunteer hotline for the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) and is being
designed with SHIP's
assistance.
State Respite Coalition Role
The Lifespan Respite Care Network (LRCN) is a working group of the AZ Caregiver Coalition
and functions as the designated
state respite coalition. The LRCN will be responsible for volunteer coordination of the
respite hotline and serve as a forum
for stakeholders while continuing its advocacy role in pursuit of state funding and
support. Area Agencies on Aging and
community partners within the disability community will work in conjunction with volunteers
from the Arizona Caregiver
Coalition to develop a database of statewide caregiver-specific resources that will be used
to provide information and
referral to caregivers calling the hotline.
Aging and Disability Resource Center Role
The Arizona Aging and Disability Resource Center, known as AZ Links, will eventually house
the toll-free statewide Caregiver
Hotline. The ADRC will also have a role in providing outreach as part of the statewide
public awareness campaign.
AZ State Lead Contact:
David Besst
Caregiver Support Specialist
AZ Dept. of Economic Security
Division of Aging and Adult Services
1789 W. Jefferson Street, 950A
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: (602) 542-6431
dbesst@azdes.gov
Illinois
Lead agency and primary collaborators: The Illinois Department on Aging is implementing
this three-year Lifespan Respite
project in collaboration with the Illinois Respite coalition and other state and private
organizations.
Major Activities
The goal of the project is to improve respite care access to all populations by
establishing a centralized, comprehensive
statewide listing of respite services; developing coordinated referral processes; and
training respite providers and
volunteers. The state agency, in collaboration with the state respite coalition, is
undertaking the following activities to
achieve this goal: 1) creating a respite website listing of all resources and training by
geographic location; 2) providing
respite services; 3) improving collaboration among state agencies that provide funding for
respite services; 4) training
caregivers and volunteers; 5) creating a statewide respite task force; 6) creating a
statewide 800 respite number; 7)
providing technical assistance and training materials for replication of the project; 8)
creating a public awareness
campaign; and 9) evaluating the effectiveness of the project.
To date, the project has hired a program assistant, who is collecting and reviewing
training programs from multiple
organizations and agencies that will be added to website resources. The project set aside a
portion of its funding to
provide emergency respite vouchers, and in collaboration with the state respite coalition,
developed a survey to identify
respite providers who provide emergency respite services.
A Statewide Respite Task Force was convened. Key state agency personnel, caregivers,
respite providers, ADRCs, and Area
Agencies on Aging were invited to participate in the first Task Force meeting via
conference call on January 14, 2010.
Participating state agencies included the Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA), the
Department of Children and Family
Services (DCFS), the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Illinois Department of
Public Health (IDPH). Other entities
included the Illinois4A (Area Agencies on Aging), represented by the President of the
association, the ADRC, and the
Illinois Respite Coalition (IRC). Participants received background information on the
Lifespan Respite Act and the goal and
objectives of the grant, and then were asked to provide an overview of the respite services
their agency/organization offers
or funds. The second meeting of the Respite Task Force was held in Springfield, Illinois on
April 21, 2010. Task Force
participants will review the respite survey and provide feedback, and a spreadsheet
depicting respite programs and funding
streams offered through state agencies will be developed by the Program Assistant.
The project began its Public Awareness Campaign with the development and distribution of
a press release announcing the
Lifespan Respite Care Grant award to the Illinois Department on Aging. The Program
Director has attended and updated
several statewide committees including the Long Term Care Advisory Council and the Older
Adult Services Advisory
Committee.
Illinois Respite Coalition Role
The state lead agency, through bimonthly meetings with the Illinois Respite Coalition
(IRC), is working to identify training
modules and resources; using the coalition web site as one-stop-shop for statewide training
information; and establishing an
800-number to be maintained by the Respite Coalition.
The IRC is expanding its website to centralize respite services for caregivers and
providers. To date, they have added to
the site a calendar of events and a listing of IRC sponsored training opportunities. IRC
surveyed its membership for
additional agency-sponsored training and events and have posted those as well. The
Coalition will also conduct quarterly
trainings to recruit new providers.
A research project is underway to determine which agencies have an 800 number or
hotline, how the lines are being used,
and their effectiveness in assisting callers. The State Respite Task Force will assist in
the assessment of existing 800
numbers and provide input to the Coalition on the development of a new 800 number dedicated
to respite resource and
referral.
To improve collaboration among state agencies, the Illinois Respite Coalition held its
Annual Statewide Respite Summit in
Springfield, Illinois on April 22, 2010, following the second meeting of the Statewide
Respite Task Force. As part of the
public awareness campaign, the Illinois Respite Coalition is reviewing several templates
that will assist in the design of a
new respite brochure.
ADRC role
The three pilot ADRCS in the state will assist with outreach and information
dissemination.
Illinois State Lead Contact:
Barbara Schwartz
Illinois Department on Aging
421 East Capitol Avenue #100
Springfield, IL 62701
(217) 524-5327
Barb.Schwartz@illinois.gov
© 2010 Family Caregiver
Alliance. All Rights
Reserved. No portion of this newsletter may be reproduced without the express permission of
Family Caregiver
Alliance.
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