 |
 |
As May turns into June, presidential campaigns will hopefully turn their focus to the issues that matter the most to us. And, what would most certainly be at the top of the list for those concerned with retirement and eldercare?
It's the Economy ...
Rising airfares, loss of jobs, housing market stagnation and foreclosure, mortgage fraud, healthcare costs and gas prices head for the moon. Feeling the crunch? If you are a working and taking care of kids, older persons, perhaps now even a returning veteran, you are, for sure.
At the beginning of the session the Hawaii Family Caregiver Coalition published Aging Issues 2008, A Guide for Hawaii's Legislators, Organizations and Citizens. This is an excellent report for anyone interested in the issues and what specific measures were proposed to our State lawmakers. Click here to view or download.
Our State Legislature’s Kupuna Caucus was able to pass an omnibus bill which was the result of many meetings of the Joint Legislative Committee on Family Caregiving. Click here to view the bill in its final form as passed. The bill contains provisions to develop public policy to support family caregivers financially and with counseling, a wide range of services to help people remain independent, respite care and support for grandparents who are parenting young children. The cap on Federal reimbursement of residential care homes was raised a teeny bit.
Another important and long overdue measure passed was for Permanent Absentee Ballots which make it easy for people to vote who have a hard time getting themselves to the polls. HB 2520 establishes a working group to explore a way to replace wages lost by employees having to take time off from work to care for a seriously ill family member. Adult Protective Services was given the expanded power to protect older persons who are vulnerable to and experiencing abuse or exploitation. And, one measure, which was vetoed by the Governor and then overridden, mandates participation in the I-SaveRx prescription drug program to provide residents with increased access to affordable drugs. Pedestrian Safety had good news: the DOT will receive a million dollars to conduct a pilot study (the bad news, is its for a study), to see how we can make intersections safer.
Many more measures will impact the lives of seniors, of course, but these caught our eye.
What failed? State tax credits for individuals who purchase their own long term care insurance, and a much needed prepaid funeral consumer protection measure. Unfortunately the effort to expand the Long Term Care Ombudsman services to include staff on the neighbor islands failed as well, along with funding for the UH Center on Aging and a newly proposed State Department of Aging.
The US Congress has passed a moratorium on the Bush administration’s efforts to cut Medicaid reimbursements to public hospitals and nursing homes. Even then, a Federal judge had to stop an end run by the Department of Health and Human Services which tried to publish an emergency ruling which would override it (NYT editorial here). In Hawaii, we are losing nursing home beds because they can't afford to operate under the current reimbursement rules and handle the demand. We would have really been hurt by this.
AARP’s “KeepMedicareFair.org” campaign addresses proposals before Congress to raise Medicare premiums to cover rising health care costs. Your voice can help make a difference here.
All is still very tenuous, and the only certainty seems to be that change is in the air.
Q & A - Can Family Caregivers Get Paid? How?
This economic and eldercare “crunch” has generated inquiries about how family members can be compensated for providing informal care. Gary Powell addresses one solution, the Family Caregiving Contract, in Ask the Experts. We'll be following up with more strategies and ideas, as well as new developments as we learn of them.
It's important to remember that the quality of care provided by families depends on how well they are able to provide that care.
To Provide the Best Quality of Care ...
Those providing family caregiving also need training and information. Where can you get education on family caregiver issues? Look to the excellent program at Kapiolani Community College, which will begin their series of classes again in the Fall after taking the summer off. Many diverse groups offer programs from time to time, and we try to feature them on our calendar. You can help by sending us information on classes, workshops, seminars that you know of.
Kupuna Connections television, and Today’s Kupuna on the radio offer a wide variety of topics and speakers that you can learn from without leaving home.
One of the greatest opportunities for support and education are the various support groups around the island. See if there is one meeting in your neighborhood. If you would like to start one, it’s a good idea to attend, and to talk with any of these great support group facilitators for important tips.
For quality of life, for peace of mind ...
There are several opportunities in June and July to attend a free program on learning about "Late Life Depression." This is often overlooked, misunderstood, and with disastrous results in many cases. We often don't hear about elder suicide, or we may think that someone is simply choosing to "check out" in the latest new age jargon. They may simply be depressed, and there may be simple reasons for it that could be remedied. Every elder caregiver should learn about this, how to tell if it is depression, and what to do.
