Good Health / Caregiving / By Will Phillips
Caring for caregivers →→Supporting the people behind the patients is our next big challenge
There are more than 670,000 unpaid family
The CARE Act will require:
caregivers in Minnesota. These are family members, friends
⊲⊲ That the name of the family caregiver is recorded when
and neighbors who are providing care for no charge, often while working full-time jobs. The services these unsung heroes provide not only help their loved ones live independently in their homes and communities, but they also help save the state money. Each year, family caregivers in Minnesota provide more than $8.5 billion in services — services that don’t have to be paid for by the state or health care system. However, just because this care isn’t paid for doesn’t mean it comes without a cost. The sacrifices caregivers make often have a negative impact on their income, retirement security and mental and physical wellbeing. As a state, we can and should be doing more to support them.
Closing the care gap
a loved one is admitted into a hospital; ⊲⊲ That the family caregiver is notified if the loved one is to be discharged to another facility or back home; and, ⊲⊲ That the facility must provide an explanation and live instruction of the medical tasks — such as medication management, injections, wound care and transfers — that the family caregiver will need to perform at home. Minnesota can and should be passing bipartisan healthcare solutions like the CARE Act. After all, when it comes to health care, we’re the best. We have some of the best hospitals and clinics in the nation, dedicated doctors and nurses, affordable health plans and the top-rated long-term care system in the nation, according to AARP and The SCAN Foundation.
One setting where caregivers typically need more support is
Making it official
at the hospital. When a loved one enters the hospital — often
We need to put the same emphasis on supporting care-
suddenly — it’s a stressful and confusing time for the family.
givers as we do on supporting patients, because caregivers
Things can get worse for caregivers when it’s time for the
are patients, too.
patient to come home. Hospital discharges aren’t always orderly affairs and all too often caregivers aren’t given enough advanced notice
Passing the CARE Act is not just about better serving today’s caregivers, it’s about investing in the future of our state. We know Minnesota’s getting older. We know tomorrow’s
or training to adequately take care of their loved ones.
seniors want to stay in their home communities. And we know
According to a recent AARP caregiving report, almost
it’s much more cost effective to care for them there. We also
half of family caregivers perform medical or nursing
know that in order to do so we’re going to need more dedicated,
tasks for their loved ones and most report that they
unpaid family caregivers.
received little or no training to perform these tasks.
Seeking legislation
Those caregivers should be empowered and have access to the training they need to keep them and their loved ones healthy and to help everyone age with dignity.
To help close this gap, AARP introduced the Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act in 2015. The bill helps ensure that family caregivers have access to better information and training. The Senate passed the bill in 2015. In 2016, it will go to the House of Representatives.
16 / February 2016 / Minnesota Good Age
Will Phillips is the state director of AARP Minnesota. There are about 650,000 AARP members in Minnesota and thousands of volunteers. Learn more at states.aarp.org/region/minnesota.