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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