| A newsletter of FCA's National Center on Caregiving |
April 16, 2008
Volume VIII, Number 8
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IN THIS ISSUE
State Legislation, Policy & Reports
- California, Colorado, New York, Virginia: Report Examines State Consumer-Directed Programs in Medicaid More...
- New Jersey: Legislature Approves Family Leave Insurance Legislation, Awaits Governor's Signature More...
Federal Legislation, Policy & Reports
- IOM Releases Report on Aging Workforce Shortage More...
- Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Supporting Front-Line Care Providers, Including Family Caregivers More...
International News
- United Kingdom: 2011 Census Will Include Questions about Caregiving More...
Research Reports & Journal Articles
- "Racial and Ethnic Variations in Caregiver Service Use" More...
Conferences & Trainings
- 3rd National GrandRally May 7 More...
- 2008 National Caregivers Conference - Call for Proposals More...
- National Geriatrics and Palliative Care Conference June 19-21 More...
Funding, Media & Miscellaneous
- National Healthcare Decisions Day April 16 More...
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California, Colorado, New York, Virginia: Report Examines State Consumer-Directed Programs in Medicaid
The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured released two reports in March which examined consumer direction in Medicaid personal assistance services programs in four states: California, Colorado, New York and Virginia. One report reviews various elements of the state programs, including eligibility criteria, support services and the methods by which care recipients and their families managed their budgets for services. The other report reveals findings from focus groups of adults with disabilities who were enrolled in the programs in those four states. For more information, visit:
Consumer Direction in Personal Assistance Services in Medicaid: A Review of Four State Programs
Consumer Direction of Personal Assistance Services Programs in Medicaid: Insights from Enrollees in Four States
New Jersey: Legislature Approves Family Leave Insurance Legislation, Awaits Governor's Signature
Both the New Jersey Assembly and Senate recently passed legislation to establish Family Leave Insurance. The bill (S.786/A. 2080) would expand the state's Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) program to cover workers who take leave to care for a seriously ill family member, including a child, spouse, domestic partner or parent, or to bond with a newly born or adopted child. Workers on leave would be able to receive up to two-thirds of their normal paycheck (capped at $524 a week) for up to 6 weeks over a 12 month period. The program would be funded through a small payroll deduction ranging from 34 cents a week for minimum wage workers up to 64 cents for anyone making over $27,700 a year. Once Governor Jon Corzine, who has indicated his support for the bill, signs it into law, New Jersey will become the third state after California and Washington to offer paid family leave to workers - and only the second state to offer it for family caregivers (Washington's program is limited to new parents). For more information, visit:New Jersey Citizen Action
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IOM Releases Report on Aging Workforce Shortage
On April 14, 2008, the Institute of Medicine released a report, Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce, which examines the looming shortage of health care professionals and others trained to work with older adults and suggests what needs to be done to address that problem. The report recognizes that family caregivers play a large role in providing long-term care to older adults, and it includes a chapter focused on informal caregivers and the need to provide them with training opportunities and stress relief. For more information, visit:
Institute of Medicine
Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Supporting Front-Line Care Providers, Including Family Caregivers
On April 16, 2008, the Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing called "Caring for Our Seniors: How Can We Support Those on the Frontlines?" Martha Stewart, Dr. John Rowe of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), Dr. Robyn Stone of the Institute for the Future of Aging Services, Dr. Todd Semla of the American Geriatrics Society, personal care worker Mary McDermott, and Dr. Sally Bowman of Oregon State University testified. The hearing focused on issues related to family caregivers and workforce development and training for direct care workers and health care providers specialized in working with older adults. For more information, visit:
Senate Special Committee on Aging
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United Kingdom: 2011 Census Will Include Questions about Caregiving
On April 2, 2008, the UK government announced that the 2011 Census will retain a question on caring responsibilities that first appeared on the 2001 Census. Funding concerns threatened to remove that question, along with others, in the upcoming Census. Carers UK, a caregiving advocacy group, led a campaign to save the question, noting that the results of the 2001 Census "led to unprecedented, reliable knowledge both locally and nationally about carers." For more information, visit:
Carers UK
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"Racial and Ethnic Variations in Caregiver Service Use"
A study reported in the April 2008 issue of the Journal of Aging and Health (Volume 20, Number 3) examines whether race and ethnicity contribute to the use of caregiver support services. The article, "Racial and Ethnic Variations in Caregiver Service Use" by Dr. Andrew Scharlach and colleagues, reveals that, after controlling for age, education, emotional support, family contribution, care recipient service use and other factors, race and ethnicity do not contribute significantly to caregiver service utilization. The sample included white, Latino, African American, Asian, native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander families. For more information, visit:
Journal of Aging and Health
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3rd National GrandRally May 7
The 3rd National GrandRally for grandparents and other relative caregivers from across the country is being held May 7, 2008 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. The event, sponsored by Generations United, provides an opportunity to highlight the important role of grandparents and other relatives in raising children and their need for help and support from people in their communities, nonprofit organizations and government programs. For more information, visit:
Generations United
2008 National Caregivers Conference - Call for Proposals
The Family Support Center of New Jersey is accepting proposals for the National Caregiver Conference, to be held October 29, 2008 in Iselin, New Jersey. The 2008 conference, called "Changing the Face of Caregiving," will provide caregivers with information on accessible and cost effective support for all populations, regardless of age or disability. Presentations can be in various formats - applicants are encouraged to be creative. The deadline for proposals is May 16, 2008. For more information, visit:
National Caregivers Conference
National Geriatrics and Palliative Care Conference June 19-21
Kaiser Permanente is hosting the 3rd National Geriatrics and Palliative Care Conference from June 19-21, 2008 in San Francisco. The conference, open to the public, is for health care professionals, social workers and others working in hospice settings to learn about and discuss care for patients in hospice and their family caregivers. For more information, visit:
National Geriatrics and Palliative Care Conference
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National Healthcare Decisions Day April 16
April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day. A collaborative effort of national, state and community organizations, this day is designed to raise public awareness of the need to plan ahead for health care decisions and to encourage the use of advance directives to communicate those important decisions. All adults with decision-making capacity in the United States should have the information and opportunity to communicate and document their healthcare decisions. For more information, visit:
National Healthcare Decisions Day
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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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