| A newsletter of FCA's National Center on Caregiving |
March 19, 2008
Volume VIII, Number 6
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IN THIS ISSUE
State Legislation, Policy & Reports
- Alabama: Legislation Would Create an Alzheimer's Disease Task Force More...
- Tennessee: New State Plan Would Increase Access to Home and Community-Based Services, Allow Consumer-Directed Options More...
Federal Legislation, Policy & Reports
- Caring for an Aging America Act Would Address Shortage in Health Care Workers for Older Adults More...
- AoA Provides Materials for Older Americans Month More...
- CDC Launches "Help Seniors Live Better, Longer: Prevent Brain Injury" Initiative More...
International News
- Japan: Study Reveals Dementia and Stroke Increase Caregiver Burden More...
Research Reports & Journal Articles
- Article Highlights Factors Influencing Caregivers' Ability to Cope with Providing End-of-Life Care More...
- "Advocacy of Women Family Caregivers: Response to Nonsupportive Interactions with Professionals" More...
Conferences & Trainings
- FCA Presentations at 2008 NCOA-ASA Conference More...
- Call for Sessions: National Home and Community-Based Services Conference More...
Funding, Media & Miscellaneous
- PBS to Air Special on Caring for Aging Parents More...
- Article Highlights Workplace Policies that Support Working Caregivers More...
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Alabama: Legislation Would Create an Alzheimer's Disease Task Force
The Alabama Legislature is considering a bill (H.B. 435) that would establish an Alzheimer's Disease Task Force to assess the current and future impact of Alzheimer's disease in the state. Among other things, the Task Force would be charged with examining the availability of home and community-based services for people with Alzheimer's disease and respite care for family caregivers. For more information, visit:
Alabama Legislature
Tennessee: New State Plan Would Increase Access to Home and Community-Based Services, Allow Consumer-Directed Options
On March 6, 2008, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen outlined details of the Long-Term Care Community Choices Act of 2008, the state's plan to increase access to home and community-based services as an alternative to institutional care. The plan would create a single point of entry for people who need long-term care services but are not enrolled in Medicaid, known in the state as TennCare, and it would increase consumer choices and options, subject to federal approval. For example, the plan would allow qualified older adults who need in-home care to use public money to hire a family member or friend to provide that care. The goal of the plan is, over the next six to ten years, to have half of all adults with long-term care needs living and receiving services at home. For more information, visit:
Chattanooga Times Free Press
Tennessee Governor
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Caring for an Aging America Act Would Address Shortage in Health Care Workers for Older Adults
On March 5, 2008, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced the Caring for an Aging America Act (S. 2708) which would address the shortage of workers trained in caring for and working with older adults by strengthening the recruitment and retention of health care professionals and social workers into geriatric care practice. The bill would provide physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, direct care workers and others in similar positions with loan forgiveness and career advancement opportunities, depending on the job, if they agree to specialize in and/ or work with older adults for a certain amount of time in various settings. The bill would also establish a Health and Long-Term Care Workforce Advisory Panel for an Aging America in order to identify incentives for recruiting and retaining new clinicians and providers to serve older adults. For more information, visit:
Thomas
AoA Provides Materials for Older Americans Month
May is Older Americans Month, and the U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA) has made materials that can be utilized by organizations available online. The theme for Older Americans Month 2008 is Working Together for Strong, Healthy and Supportive Communities. Materials include logos, posters, a sample proclamation and a sample article. For more information, visit:
U.S. Administration on Aging
CDC Launches "Help Seniors Live Better, Longer: Prevent Brain Injury" Initiative
On March 6, 2008, the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched "Help Seniors Live Better, Longer: Prevent Brain Injury." This national initiative is designed to raise awareness among family caregivers about ways to prevent, recognize and respond to fall-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) in adults age 75 and older. Consumer education materials developed for the initiative include a booklet for older adults, a fact sheet and brochure for family members and other caregivers of older adults, as well as posters and a magnet. For more information, visit:
CDC
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Japan: Study Reveals Dementia and Stroke Increase Caregiver Burden
An article in a recent issue of the journal Cerebrovascular Diseases (Volume 25, Number 3) examines caregiver burden on Japanese adults caring for family members who lived at home, had dementia or experienced a stroke, and who were covered by long-term care insurance. After adjusting for the caregiver's age, sex and employment status, the patient-caregiver relationship, and the patient's care level, the study reveals that dementia is most strongly associated with increased family caregiver burden. Although caregivers did experience increased burden when caring for someone with a stroke, among patients with dementia, the presence of stroke did not enhance caregiver burden further. Read the article by Isao Muraki and colleagues, "Caregiver Burden for Impaired Elderly Japanese with Prevalent Stroke and Dementia under Long-Term Care Insurance System":
Cerebrovascular Diseases
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Article Highlights Factors Influencing Caregivers' Ability to Cope with Providing End-of-Life Care
An article was published in the January/February 2008 issue of Cancer Nursing (Volume 31, Number 1) called "Factors Influencing Family Caregivers' Ability to Cope with Providing End-of-Life Cancer Care at Home" by Kelli Stajduhar, Ph.D. and colleagues. The article, based on a study involving interviews with caregivers, suggests five factors that influence caregivers' ability to cope with providing end-of-life cancer care at home: "(1) the caregiver's approach to life, (2) the patient's illness experience, (3) the patient's recognition of the caregivers' contribution to his or her care, (4) the quality of the relationship between the caregiver and the dying person, and (5) the caregiver's sense of security." For more information, visit:
Cancer Nursing
"Advocacy of Women Family Caregivers: Response to Nonsupportive Interactions with Professionals"
A recent issue of Qualitative Health Research (Volume 18, Number 3) published the results of a study that examined women caregivers' responses to unsupportive interactions with professionals. The article, "Advocacy of Women Family Caregivers: Response to Nonsupportive Interactions with Professionals" by Anne Neufeld and colleagues, found that "women experienced negative feelings, a lack of trust, powerlessness, and challenges in their caregiving situations that were catalysts for advocacy involving assertively taking charge in a relationship with a health professional. As advocates women employed strategies of monitoring their relative's condition, educating themselves or others, negotiating or fighting for resources, or campaigning for change." For more information, visit:
Qualitative Health Research
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FCA Presentations at 2008 NCOA-ASA Conference
Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) staff will present two workshops at the 2008 Joint Conference of the National Council on Aging (NCOA) and the American Society on Aging (ASA) happening March 26-30, 2008, in Washington, DC. FCA Executive Director Kathleen Kelly, along with Dr. Carol Levine of the United Hospital Fund, will present a workshop called "Public Policy and Advocacy: Creating Ethical Frameworks for Public Policy Concerning Family Caregivers" on Saturday, March 29 at 9:15 am. The National Center on Caregiving's Senior Policy Specialist Amy Friedrich-Karnik will present immediately following, at 10:30 am, in a session called "The Interface Between Informal and Formal Care Providers: Policies that Promote Respect, Support and Quality Care." Patricia Volland, Director of the Social Work Leadership Institute at the New York Academy of Medicine, and Robyn Stone, Executive Director of the Institute for the Future of Aging Services, will present with Friedrich-Karnik. FCA's National Center on Caregiving will also display our latest materials at a booth (#420) in the Exhibit Hall. For more information, visit:
Joint NCOA/ASA Conference
Call for Sessions: National Home and Community-Based Services Conference
The National Association of State Units on Aging (NASUA) and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs are currently accepting proposals for sessions at the 2008 National Home and Community-Based Services Conference being held September 28 - October 1 in Boston. Conference planners are seeking proposals for workshops and symposia, open forums, poster sessions, and preconference intensives in subject areas including program administration, diversity, consumer direction, quality, systems change and technology. The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2008. For more information, visit:
Instructions for Proposal Submission
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PBS to Air Special on Caring for Aging Parents
On April 2, 2008, PBS is airing a two-hour special, Caring for Your Parents, on family caregiving. The program will focus on five caregiving families and the issues they face trying to keep aging parents at home, dealing with tensions between siblings, and the complexity of shifting caregiver roles. It will also feature a panel discussion on how to talk to parents about their future care. Check local listings for air times. For more information, visit:
PBS
Article Highlights Workplace Policies that Support Working Caregivers
An article on Knoxvillebiz.com, "Baby boomers caring for aging parents get variety of support from employers," highlights the challenges facing working caregivers and the workplace policies that help them balance their work and caregiving responsibilities. Whether or not they have a formal elder care policy, employers sometimes provide workers with eldercare resource materials and referral services, unpaid leaves of absence, dependent flexible spending accounts, counseling and flextime. For more information, visit:
Knoxvillebiz.com
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©2008 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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