Wednesday, January 29, 2014

National Alliance for Caregiving – Wednesday, 29 January 2014

National Alliance for Caregiving – Wednesday, 29 January 2014
In This Issue
From the President's Desk
News from the Alliance
Membership Update
Research, Reports & Publications
Legislation & Advocacy
State & Local Coalitions
Upcoming Events
From the President's Desk
Happy New Year!
I am excited about the great year ahead as we continue to support family caregiving. Let me tell you about some of the important work that we're doing here in Washington. 
Last month, we hosted From Plan to Practice: Implementing NAPA In Your State with colleagues from the Alzheimer's Foundation of America. More than 250 participants tuned in to our live webcast, which featured federal and state experts discussing how states can implement the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease. We hosted representatives from Indiana, Rhode Island, and Minnesota, who told their stories about implementing the National Plan in their state. You can view the presentations and meeting materials on our website (www.caregiving.org) under "Recent News and Events." 
Looking ahead, the Alliance has a full slate of spring activities. Our state and local caregiving coalitions will be meeting for the 8th Annual National Conference of Caregiving Coalitions, as part of the 2014 Annual Conference of the American Society on Aging. We're thankful for the generous sponsorship from the Archstone Foundation, Genentech, and Pfizer for our coalitions work this year. You can learn more about the program at http://www.caregiving.org/coalitions.
We are also planning a Caregiving and Technology Roundtable in April that will highlight innovations in caregiving using new technologies. Care Innovations, which is now represented on our Board of Directors, will be one of the sponsors for the event. The California HealthCare Foundation, the Kaiser Permanente Foundation, and the Institute for the Future will also support the day-long meeting. Be on the lookout for more information. 
As always, we appreciate the work you are doing to support family caregivers and caregiving research.
Kind regards,
Gail
Gail Gibson Hunt
President and Chief Executive Officer
News from the Alliance
The Alliance co-hosted "From Plan to Practice: Implementing NAPA In Your State" with the Alzheimer's Foundation of America. The live conference and webinar event included more than 250 participants from 39 states and the District of Columbia. Presenters discussed how to implement the caregiver provisions from the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease at the state level.  For meeting materials and presentation slides, please visit www.caregiving.org, under "Recent News and Events."
The Alliance live-tweeted the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging's December 19th hearing on "The Future of Long-Term Care."  Read comments from the Senate Committee members (and view pictures) here. 
We're hiring for our next Director of Development, Operations, and Programs! For a job description, please click here. For questions, please contact our Manager of Programs and Communications, C. Grace Whiting, at gracewhiting@caregiving.org.
Staff Updates:
Rick Greene, M.S.W., is providing support for the Alliance as our Interim Director. Rick is a former member of our Board of Directors and an expert on aging. He has previously served as the Director of the National Family Caregivers Support Program at the U.S. Administration on Aging. He has also worked at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. You can reach Rick at rickgreene@caregiving.org.  
Stephanie Herndon, M.A., is currently working with the Alliance team to provide executive support to Gail Hunt, President and CEO.  Stephanie also provides support our special projects and membership. You can reach her at stephanie@caregiving.org or (301) 718-8444.
Welcome, New Alliance Members!
The Alliance is excited to welcome two new members to our organization, Philips Healthcare and UCB. As leaders in the healthcare space, both of these organizations offer new insights into how to better support the work of family caregiving.
If you know of an organization interested in membership in the Alliance, please reach out to Stephanie at stephanie@caregiving.org for membership materials and information.
New Research, Reports & Publications
A new book edited by caregiving expert Carol Levine compiles fiction and poetry on family caregiving.  The book, Living in the Land of Limbo, is available through the Vanderbilt Press and is the first anthology of short stories and poems about family caregivers. Learn more here.
A study in Family Relations compared physical outcomes for caregiving parents and caregiving adult children and found that perceived family demands are strongly associated with an increase in chronic health conditions for both groups of caregivers. Read more here.
A new interdisciplinary book on caregiving, The Challenges of Mental Health Caregiving, was published this month. Topics include: caring for a person with mental illness, cultural considerations, loss and bereavement, policy implications, and a summary of caregiving research.  Read more here.
An Australian study published in Social Science and Medicine found that caregiving has a "significant deterrent effect" on a caregiver's employment. The deterrent effect remained consistent, regardless of whether the caregiver lived with the care recipient. Read more here.
A Canadian study, also in Social Science and Medicine, found that "high intensity" caregivers were more likely to retire before age 65. High intensity, female caregivers were more likely to work part-time. Read more here.
Legislation & Advocacy Update
Joanna Shoffner Scott, PhD, Legislative Affairs, National Alliance for Caregiving
FAMILY Act Bill Introduced with Big Media Rollout
The Family And Medical Insurance Leave Act of 2013 (FAMILY Act) is a paid leave bill that was introduced last month by Senator Gillibrand (D-NY) and Representative DeLauro (D-CT).  The FAMILY Act would create a national family and medical leave insurance program that would:
Create a self-sustaining insurance fund to ensure people have paid leave for work absence under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA); and
Require an employer/employee contribution via the payroll tax.
The dollars generated by the joint contribution would be used to administer the program and provide benefits, in a way similar to unemployment insurance. By design, the program builds on Social Security's existing benefits determination and payment infrastructure.
If enacted, the new program could help meet the economic challenges of family caregivers, who often lose income if their caregiver role requires a departure from the work force. The National Alliance for Caregiving is one of 400 organizations that signed onto a letter of support in advance of the bill's introduction. Click here to read the letter.
There are many opportunities to become engaged in advocacy to support the FAMILY Act. For more information, please click here.  To join the campaign, click here.
Congressional Budget Passed; President Obama's FY2015 Budget Delayed 
Congress passed a federal budget for the 2014 fiscal year at the beginning of the month, which included a $122 million increase for Alzheimer's disease, including research, education, outreach, and caregiver support.  The budget reduced appropriations for Lifespan Respite, the National Family Caregiver Support Program, and the Native American Caregiver Support Program. (For a comparison chart of this year's budget to previous years from the National Respite Coalition, please click here.)
President Obama is expected to introduce his fiscal 2015 budget later than usual. By law, the President's budget is due the first Monday in February. The President's budget will be delayed, but by how long is unknown.  The President will outline his budget priorities in his State of the Union address currently scheduled for January 28th.
After this work is done, the next major budget deadline is Feb. 7th, the date Congress will need to raise the debt ceiling to enable the federal government to pay its obligations.
Caregiving Coalitions Corner
Join the 8th Annual National Conference on Caregiving Coalitions!
We're meeting on March 12, 2014 in San Diego in conjunction with the 2014 Annual Conference of the American Society on Aging. Presentation topics will include: technology and caregiving; engaging family caregiving in advocacy efforts; and how to grow and develop your caregiving coalition.  For more information, please visit http://www.caregiving.org/coalitions.
Coalition Spotlights
The United Way Caregivers Coalitions (located in Morris, North Essex, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren counties of New Jersey) released a regional edition of their comprehensive caregiving guide, Pathways for Caregivers. The guide for caregivers includes information on caring for aging loved ones, persons with disabilities, and persons with mental health issues. While the guide is written for caregivers in northern New Jersey, the content is generally applicable to caregivers regardless of region.  The guidebook is free and can be downloaded by clicking here.  For a printed version, please call (888) 33UWCAREs or (888) 338-9227.
The Hawaii Family Caregiver Coalition recently completed a strategic planning process and received an extension of their grant from the Hawaii Community Foundation.  Funding will go toward legal assistance to pursue formal 501(c)(3) non-profit status. The coalition plans to continue political advocacy for measures that support family caregivers.  Additionally, the coalition adopted a specific focus for the next two years on problems facing employed caregivers and working with employers to assist those caregivers.  
Have upcoming news about your coalition?  Email Grace at gracewhiting@caregiving.org to share your updates in our future newsletters.
Upcoming Events in Caregiving & Aging
Seventh Annual International Conference on Positive Aging
February 9 - 12, 2014, Sarasota, Florida
This conference brings together diverse leaders who are shaping a dynamic future for older adults throughout the world.  The 2014 conference theme is "Positive Aging Transcends:  The Voices of Innovation and Community."  The conference presentations will focus on four key topics, including Wellness, Creativity, Transitions and Community.  For more information or to register, click here.
#Impact80 Summit:
Global Caregiving & Healthcare Social Media Virtual Initiative
February 11, 2014, Online from 10am - 1:30 pm Central Time
Join the #IMPACT80 Virtual Summit 2014 - A Global Care & Health Initiative for topics related to caregivers, women's health, and the sandwich generation. The summit, hosted online by CareNovate Magazine, is designed to engage, educate, empower and support family caregivers. There is no fee for family caregivers or caregiving professionals.  For more information, visit: http://goo.gl/NLKU4Z.
2014 Aging in America Conference, American Society on Aging
March 11-15, 2014, San Diego, California
The 2014 conference celebrates ASA's 60th anniversary, as the organization continues to explore new models of care and welcome the broad array of professionals who care for an aging society. For registration and to learn more, please click here.
Don't forget to sign up for our 8th Annual National Conference for Caregiving Coalitions, on March 12, during registration!  If you plan to attend, you can qualify for our group discount.  Please reach out to Grace (gracewhiting@caregiving.org) no later than January 30, 2014.
International Federation on Ageing: 2014 Global Conference
on "Health, Security, and Community"
June 10 - 14, 2014, Hyderabad, India
The International Federation on Ageing is proud to be co-hosting, alongside the Heritage Foundation, the 12th International Federation on Ageing Global Conference on Ageing.  To learn more about the event, please click here.
If you would like the Alliance's President and CEO, Gail Gibson Hunt, to present on caregiving issues at your upcoming conference, please email stephanie@caregiving.org.
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National Alliance for Caregiving
4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 205
Bethesda, MD 20814 United States

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