| A newsletter of FCA's National Center on Caregiving |
April 30, 2008
Volume VIII, Number 9
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IN THIS ISSUE
State Legislation, Policy & Reports
- Illinois: Bill Would Pay Spousal Caregivers More...
- Report Examines Medicaid HCBS Policy More...
Federal Legislation, Policy & Reports
- Bill Would Provide Services and Support to Families of Service Members with TBI More...
- New Information Added to "Nursing Home Compare" More...
International News
- European Guiding Principles on Caregiving More...
- New Zealand: Government Launches Carers' Strategy More...
Research Reports & Journal Articles
- Report from Caregiving Research Summit More...
Conferences & Trainings
- Annual Lifespan Respite Conference September 4 - 6 More...
Funding, Media & Miscellaneous
- WISER Receives AoA Grant to Establish a National Education and Resource Center on Women and Retirement Planning More...
- Stateline.org Article Highlights Consumer Choice in Long-Term Care Policy More...
- Packer Policy Fellowship in Australia More...
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Illinois: Bill Would Pay Spousal Caregivers
On April 16, 2008, the Illinois Senate passed a bill (S.B. 2112) which would establish a demonstration project to reimburse spousal caregivers providing care to a spouse who qualifies for the state's Medicaid Home Services Program. The demonstration project would operate in selected counties and be limited to serving no more than 100 people a year. The bill is now being considered in the House. For more information, visit:
Illinois General Assembly
Report Examines Medicaid HCBS PolicyIn March 2008, the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy issued a discussion brief, "Advancing Medicaid HCBS Policy: From Capped Consumer to Consumer-Directed" by Paula Acosta and Lelie Hendrickson. The brief provides the historical context as well as a summary of the recent policy environment, which has fostered the shift in Medicaid policy away from institutional care toward home- and community-based services. By examining trends in long-term care, the Olmstead decision, the Deficit Reduction Act and programs such as Money Follows the Person and California's Real Choices System Change grant, the brief offers a vision for the future of home- and community-based services and the role of consumer choice in states' long-term care policies. For more information, visit:
Rutgers Center for State Health Policy
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Bill Would Provide Services and Support to Families of Service Members with TBI
On April 28, 2008, Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) introduced the Caring for Wounded Warriors Act (S. 2921) to support family caregivers of service members and veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI). The bill would establish two pilot programs, including one to provide education and training to family caregivers, qualifying them to receive compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). That program would also offer assessments to family caregivers, followed up by referrals to services and support to help meet their needs. The second pilot program would train graduate students to provide respite care to families caring for service members and veterans with TBI. For more information, visit:
Thomas
New Information Added to "Nursing Home Compare"
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has added new information to its "Nursing Home Compare" website in order to give residents and families a more complete picture of each nursing home's history of providing quality care. The online tool now includes information about whether a home is or has been on CMS' special focus facility (SFF) list, which indicates that it has received heightened scrutiny based on a history of poor performance or repeated violations of state and federal health and safety rules. As outlined in its "2008 Action Plan for Further Improvement of Nursing Home Quality," this action is one of many that CMS plans to take to improve the quality of nursing home care in the U.S. For more information, visit:
CMS
Nursing Home Compare
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European Guiding Principles on Caregiving
Eurocarers, a European association working for caregivers, has adopted ten principles which serve to strengthen the position of carers in Europe by guiding policy and practice related to family caregivers. The principles state that carers should be recognized, have a right to a social life, have equal opportunities, have choice, have access to information, be supported, have opportunity to take time off, be able to combine caregiving with paid employment if desired, have their own health care needs recognized and have financial security. Likewise, California and New York have developed a set of caregiver principles. In 2006, the United Hospital Fund released "An Ethical Framework for New York State Policy Concerning Family Caregivers," with the perspective that government has an ethical responsibility to address caregivers' needs. For more information, visit:
Eurocarers
New York State Ethical Framework
New Zealand: Government Launches Carers' Strategy
On April 28, 2008, the New Zealand government launched a new strategy for the country's 420,000 caregivers, which includes a review of financial and respite supports for families, as well as a celebration the role of caregiving. This five-year plan is the first of future action plans to ensure an ongoing focus on carers. The New Zealand Carers Alliance, a coalition of 47 national nonprofit organizations supporting families with health and disability needs, partnered with the government during the strategy consultation period. For more information, visit:
carers.net.nz
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Report from Caregiving Research Summit
The MetLife MatureMarket Institute and the National Alliance for Caregiving recently released a report summarizing their June 2007 research summit, "Moving the Research Agenda Forward in Family Caregiving." The one-day meeting featured presentations from ten experts who helped to identify gaps in caregiver research and to recommend areas for potential exploration across the academic fields of sociology, economics, psychology, social work and gerontology. For more information, visit:
National Alliance for Caregiving
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Annual Lifespan Respite Conference September 4 - 6
The 2008 Lifespan Respite Conference will be held in Des Moines, Iowa September 4 - 6, 2008 and will be called "Home Grown: Cultivating Caregivers." The Conference is hosted by the Iowa Respite and Crisis Care Coalition and the ARCH National Respite Network. Participants can pre-register today at discounted rates. Pre-registration is fully refundable up to July 15, 2008. For more information, visit:
Iowa Respite and Crisis Care Coalition
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WISER Receives AoA Grant to Establish a National Education and Resource Center on Women and Retirement Planning
The U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA) awarded a three-year grant to the Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER) to establish a National Education and Resource Center on Women and Retirement Planning. The Center will provide financial planning tools for all women, but with a particular focus on average and low-income, minority, limited-English speaking, rural and other "underserved" women. The goal of the project is to provide a one-stop gateway to integrate financial information and resources on retirement, health and long-term planning into programs that are already in existence, such as the programs of the Older Americans Act. For more information, visit:
National Education and Resource Center on Women and Retirement Planning
Stateline.org Article Highlights Consumer Choice in Long-Term Care Policy
On April 24, 2008, a story on Stateline.org highlighted Cash and Counseling programs and other Medicaid options for home and community-based services which allow consumers to decide what services to purchase and whom to hire to provide them. The article, "More States Offer Choice in Long-Term Care," explained that such programs can be a relief to many family caregivers and care receivers who do not want to go into a nursing home but who otherwise may have a hard time finding available and adequate care providers who can help them remain at home. Such programs, increasingly being adopted by more states, can allow family caregivers or other privately hired direct care workers to be paid through such programs. For more information, visit:
Stateline.org
Packer Policy Fellowship in Australia
The Commonwealth Fund, on behalf of the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, is now accepting applications for the 2009-2010 Packer Policy Fellowship. This Australian-American health policy fellowship program offers an opportunity for outstanding, mid-career U.S. professionals, including academics, physicians, decision makers in managed care and other private health care organizations, federal and state health officials, and journalists, to spend up to ten months in Australia conducting research and working with leading Australian health policy experts on issues relevant to both countries. Applications are due August 15, 2008. For more information, visit:
The Commonwealth Fund
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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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