ARCH Quick News Updates

Valuing the Invaluable: 2011 Update
The Growing Contributions and Costs of Family Caregiving

This report updates national and individual state estimates of the economic value of family caregiving using the most current available data. In 2009, about 42.1 million family caregivers in the U.S. provided care to an adult with limitations in daily activities at any given point in time, and about 61.6 million provided care at some time during the year. The estimated economic value of their unpaid contributions was approximately $450 billion in 2009, up from an estimated $375 billion in 2007.  The report also explains the contributions of family caregivers, details the costs and consequences of providing family care, and provides recommendations for policies that better support caregivers.

ARCH Quick News Update

May 31, 2011

For regular and in-depth news updates, please subscribe to The Newsletter of the Technical Assistance Centers for Caregiver Programs and Lifespan Respite, by clicking on this link.  This is a joint effort between the Family Caregiver Alliance and the ARCH National Respite Network.

New Gallup Poll: In U.S., Caregivers' Emotional Health Often Suffers
May 27, 2011
Americans who balance a full-time job and caring for a loved one who is aging or has a disability have worse emotional health than their non-caregiving counterparts. This is particularly true for caregivers who are younger than 45 years of age.
Read more at GALLUP.com
Copyright © 2011 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved

Long Term Costs Continue to Rise

From the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America E-Newsletter May 26, 2011 Volume 4 Issue 11

The cost of care at nursing homes and assisted living facilities nationwide increased again in the past year, continuing a steady rise over the past six years, according to a survey of long-term care service providers conducted by Genworth Financial. The cost of both private and semi-private rooms at skilled nursing home facilities increased by more than five percent in the past year, to a national median daily rate of $213 and $193, respectively, and rose more than four percent annually over the past six years.  In assisted living facilities, the national median monthly rate increased 2.39 percent, to $3,261, over the past year. However, this was less than the 5.99 percent annual growth in the last six years.  In contrast, the costs of home health aide services, homemaker services--known as personal care assistants and companions--and adult day health care services remained the same from 2010 to 2011. The survey enables individuals to simply click on a map to calculate and compare the costs of these services on a state by state or region by region basis across the nation. Click here to view.  These data can be used to compare the cost of respite care in your region to more costly out-of-home placements.

National Center for Benefits Outreach, National Council on Aging, Produce a New Issue Brief on Benefits Access among Isolated Seniors

NCOA’s National Center for Benefits Outreach and Enrollment released a new issue brief titled Crossing New Frontiers: Benefits Access among Isolated Seniors.  The issue brief describes the ways in which social and geographical isolation pose barriers to benefits access among older adults. By examining the main characteristics of the isolated population, this brief identifies new opportunities to improve and expand the outreach and enrollment efforts that target this population.

U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Hearing – “Meals, Rides, and Caregivers”

On May 26, 2011, the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing on "Meals, Rides, and Caregivers: What Makes the Older Americans Act so Vital to America's Seniors."   The hearing was designed to gather input on the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, which is due to expire this year.  The hearing featured two panels of witnesses; the testimonies for each witness, including a recording of the hearing, can be accessed online by clicking here.  The first panel consisted of Rosalynn Carter, President, Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving; and Kathy Greenlee, Assistant Secretary for Aging, Administration on Aging (AoA).  The second panel included: Elizabeth Marshall, OAA service recipient, York, PA; Max Richtman, Chairman, Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO); Heather Bruemmer, State of Wisconsin Long-Term Care Ombudsman; and Timothy Howell, CEO, Senior Citizen Home Assistance Services.  Max Richtman presented LCAO’s Consensus Recommendation for the OAA Reauthorization.

National Spending for Long-Term Services and Supports

Summary: Long-term services and supports (LTSS) for the elderly and younger populations with disabilities are a significant component of national health care spending. In 2009, spending for these services was $203.2 billion (almost 10 percent of all U.S. personal health care spending), most of it paid by the federal-state Medicaid program. This publication presents data on LTSS spending by major public and private sources.
More Info: http://www.hcbs.org/moreInfo.php/nb/doc/3603

The National Alliance for Caregiving is conducting a survey on technology and its impact on family caregivers. The objectives of this survey include:

• Understanding the frequency of both Internet and device technology being used by caregivers;
• Understanding the impact of technology on both the caregiver and the care recipient; and
• Determining the unmet technological needs of the caregiver

If you are a family caregiver or know of one, please visit the National Alliance for Caregiving website: www.caregiving.org and take part in this important survey.

If you need more information about this survey, please contact Jordan Green [jordan@caregiving.org] at NAC.

Caregivers of Veterans

The study, Caregivers of Veterans - Serving on the Homefront, released today by the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and funded by United Health Foundation, finds that family caregivers of veterans face a higher burden of care, both in intensity and duration, often supporting a spouse or partner over a longer period of time than typical family caregivers. These caregivers also are predominantly women (96 percent) compared to the national average (65 percent), and many make sacrifices to their own health and jobs to care for their loved ones. The full report can be downloaded at   www.unitedhealthfoundation.org/veterans or www.caregiving.org

  GAO Lifespan Respite Report

On October 22, the Government Accounting Office released the following report mandated by the Lifespan Respite Care Act of 2006.  Since the program is relatively new, GAO could not carry out the cost benefit analysis required by the legislation, but they did prepare a descriptive summary of current state Lifespan Respite grantee activities.  The report also includes a supportive statement from the Administration on Aging.

Respite Care: Grants and Cooperative Agreements Awarded to Implement the Lifespan Respite Care Act.  GAO-11-28R, October 22.

http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-28R

Trends in Family Caregiving and Paid Home Care for Older People with Disabilities in the Community: Data from the National Long-Term Care Survey by Ari Houser, Mary Jo Gibson, Donald L. Redfoot at the AARP Public Policy Institute, September 2010.

This paper reports data from the National Long-Term Care Survey (NLTCS), a nationally representative survey of Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 and older. It examines changes in sources of assistance for older people living in the community with chronic disabilities, including the use of assistive equipment as well as care from family (unpaid) and formal (paid) caregivers between 1984 and 2004. The report includes trend data on the characteristics of family caregivers, the hours of services received, and sources of payment for formal services.

IV. CONCLUSION

The data in this report shine light on the need for far more financial and professional support for older people with disabilities in the community. The good news is that many older people with lower levels of disabilities are increasingly able to manage in the community with simple assistive devices rather than human assistance. In addition, the declining use of institutional care is a welcome finding, but one that also means that growing numbers of older people are living in the community with higher levels of disability. Yet the share of older people receiving formal home care services remains distressingly low. Moreover, out-of-pocket payments remain the primary funding source for such services, despite the low incomes of those needing the services. Family caregivers, themselves older and caring for people with more severe disabilities, continue to be the safety net. Until the mid-1990s, family care was being increasingly supplemented by formal care, but that trend has reversed, and more family caregivers today are left to carry the load alone.

Current policy discussions often focus on promoting more home and community-based options for older people with disabilities. Clearly, most older people want to stay in their homes and communities when disability strikes, and the data presented in this report and its companion (Redfoot and Houser 2010) document the strong trend toward greater independence among older people with disabilities. But policy discussions have been too focused on saving money and too little focused on providing the supports needed to enable older people to retain their independence. And far too little attention is paid to

providing the financial, technical, and respite support needed by family caregivers who are increasingly bearing the burdens of care. Building the network of services and supports for people with disabilities and their family caregivers should be a national priority today so that tomorrow’s much larger cohorts of older people can look forward to aging with dignity and independence.

For complete report, see http://www.hcbs.org/files/196/9758/caregiving2010.pdf

(adapted from The Capitol Insider prepared by the Disability Policy Collaborative, September 20, 2010)

The Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) in the US Department of Health and Human Services will hold several "Envisioning the Future" Summits over the next several months. Summits will be held in:

Philadelphia (October 18)

Orlando (November 8)

Dallas (November 15)

Detroit (December 2)

Denver (December 6)

ADD is seeking input into its five-year strategic plan concerning issues that pertain to people with developmental disabilities across the lifespan, including preparation for college or a career, employment, and housing.  They will also be seeking input on issues related to community supports and services, aging and end-of-life, and caregiving and support challenges. Those wishing to participate will need to preregister. Written comments may be submitted through a website. For additional details, call or contact the Summit Coordinator at Kathryn.Fialkowski@acf.hhs.gov or 202-690-6590. ADD plans to have a website devoted to the summits in the near future.

State Funding Opportunity

August 25, 2010

As you may know, Money Follows the Person is a Medicaid initiative that provides financial incentives for states to transition individuals with disabilities from institutions to home and community-based programs.  Grants pay for one year of community-based services for each person transitioned from an institution. Respite programs for family caregivers are included in covered community-based services. Here is a news items from the Arc/UCP Disability Policy Collaboration regarding new funding for the MFP program:

Medicaid / Money Follows the Person (MFP) Funding Availability

Funding is available for all states that want to help balance their long-term services and supports systems. The Affordable Care Act provided an additional $2.25 billion for the MFP Demonstration program. States receive an enhanced federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for a one-year period for each individual they transition from an institution to a qualified home and community-based program. The 29 states which currently have MFP awards can modify and expand their existing grants. For example, they could propose to add additional populations, expand the number of transitions, or expand geographic scope. See the FY 2011 MFP demonstration grant application at:
http://www.cms.gov/CommunityServices/Downloads/MFP2011SolicitationFinalJuly29RH.pdf

States without current MFP awards are also eligible to apply for new FY11 MFP demonstration grants. These are: AL, AK, AZ, CO, FL, ID, ME, MA, MN, MS, MT, NV, NM, RI, SD, TN, UT, VT, WV, WY as well as the following territories: PR, USVI, AS, and NMI. The deadline for applications is January 7. However, states are encouraged to submit an optional letter of intent by August 25. CMS will provide extensive technical assistance to help states complete successful applications. 

In addition, states without current MFP grants are also eligible to apply for FY10 Planning Grants. These grants will provide up to $200,000 to states for them to work with stakeholders and submit successful applications. CMS is prepared to award up to 20 planning grants. The deadline for planning grants is September 7. See the planning grant application at:
http://www.cms.gov/CommunityServices/Downloads/MFP_Planning_Grant_Solicitation_2010.pdf

Developmental Disabilities
 (from Disability Policy Collaboration's Capitol Insider, August 9)