The Caregiver s Advocate June 2012

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1 Faces of Caregivers In Georgia when describing Ms. Jackson. From just one of several letters submitted supporting her nomination: Beulah Jackson receives Georgia Para-Professional Caregiver of the Year Award from Mrs. Rosalynn Carter A little over a year and a half ago, Beulah Jackson retired after 13 plus years as a certified nursing assistant. Luckily for the Innovative Senior Solutions agency, the retirement didn t take. As Ms. Jackson stated, It just didn t feel right being at home when I could be somewhere caring for someone. In the time she has been with the agency, Beulah Jackson has become, and I quote, one of the pillars that make this company strong. She is known around the office as the magic lady because her smile and laughter work magic in the homes where she provides her special attention to the patients. But her generosity does not stop there; she also shares words of encouragement or an offer to help with her co-workers as well. The joy she derives from caring for others, patients, friends and coworkers is easily seen in everything she does. The phrase over and beyond is consistently used Beulah has been coming to our home daily for the last year and a half to give nursing care to our family member who is in the end stages of Alzheimer s disease. Our entire family has fallen in love with her for many reasons. She is one of the hardest working human beings we have ever met. She gives 110% of her heart, soul and body. Our daughter loves to help Beulah and you can hear them in the bedroom laughing and enjoying their caregiver chores together. My son loves to talk with Beulah about caregiving, music, gardening and religion. They have become friends and look forward to Beulah s daily time with us. Another letter simply states: I want you all to know that Ms. Beulah has a heart of gold. Johnson and Johnson, Inc. sponsor the RCI Summit and the Gala Awards Banquet each year. Georgia Southwestern s Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving was created in 1987 in honor of the First Lady and GSW alumna Rosalynn Carter. Through research, education and training, the RCI promotes the mental health and well being of individuals, families and professional caregivers.

2 Message from the Director Dr. Leisa Easom Executive Director - RCI I would like to share with you the article written by Laura Bauer and I which was recently published in the bimonthly newspaper of the American Society on Aging, Aging Today. Six Actions to Avert the Crisis In October 2010, RCI (Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving) released a position paper outlining 12 recommendations for averting our nation s caregiving crisis. Since then, RCI has sought feedback from all sectors of government and professionals involved in service delivery, caregiving research and evidence-based implementation and policy. Much progress has been made, leading RCI to refine the original 12 recommendations into six strategic actions, which are as follows: 1. Educate the public. There needs to be a national outreach and public education campaign to help family caregivers recognize, locate and accept assistance, as well as inform the public about the needs of family caregivers and how individuals, communities, employers and faith communities can help. 2. Assure that caregivers receive evidenced-based, effective support services that target their identified needs. All family caregivers should have access to a culturally competent assessment accurately identifying their needs and level of risk. This would enable service providers to match available evidence-based caregiver support programs to address these needs. 3. Support the translation of evidence-based caregiver programs into community settings. Taking an effective intervention from clinical trial to service delivery in the community is complicated and requires much work. This critical stage must be adequately funded to ensure that effective caregiver interventions are put into place, instead of spending their life on the shelf. 4. Advocate for tax and public policy changes. Caregivers should earn tax credits for the unpaid labor they provide. Changes to the tax code that protect family caregivers from financial distress should be initiated. 5. Target investments that lead to sustainable funding. At RCI, we say, If it works, keep it going! When evidence-based caregiver support programs are successful, alternative funding streams should be identified that will allow them to continue. 6. Provide leadership for coordination of efforts. Successfully implementing the five previous actions requires direction from the top that promotes integrated planning and action. Creating a National Quality Caregiving Task Force would increase the efficiency and speed the development of this proposed system; minimize conflicts and duplication of efforts; and assure accountability for outcomes. Our detailed recommendations and action plan are online at We invite everyone to get involved to help support and provide a voice for caregivers.

3 Georgia CARE-NET Coalition June 11, 2012 Meeting L to R: Back Row: Cynthia Wade, Ken Jasnau, Kathy Keith, Janice Adams, Connie Wilkes, Leisa Easom, Pamela Rogers, Susan San Filippo, Laura Bagwell, Amy Slaybaugh L to R: Front Row: Michele Kelley, Janis Akins, Mary Whitfield, Ada Brown, Mary Lou Vergara, Mona Browning, Joy Shirley, Amy Jackson, Lisa Buice, Ilona Preattle, Lois Ricci On June 11, 2012 the Quarterly CARE-NET Coalition Meeting was held at the Methodist Home for Children and Youth in Macon. 23 were in attendance and ten out of twelve CARE-NETS were represented. Unfortunately, Mrs. Carter was unable to attend because of illness. But she promises to attend the December meeting. After Dr. Easom welcomed the group, a video was shown of Mrs. Carter thanking the participants for their work with caregivers. During the meeting each CARE-NET shared a power point presentation of their events and accomplishments. Dr. Pamela Roshell, State Director of the AARP and Karen R. Cooper, Associate State Director of Community Outreach, were invited as the guest speakers. See the next page for Karen Cooper s article. Dr. Roshell shared that the AARP is focusing at the policy level as advocates to maintain and restore funding. They have a special concern for caregivers that are not able to use their sick leave to care for family members. They have enlisted the help of the AD-Council a non-profit that provides high visibility ads to promote social change by helping caregivers self-identify, thereby giving them a voice. She also shared the results of the Georgia Scorecard which will help the State identify gaps in the long term care services. More information about the Georgia Scorecard can be found at: Pamela Roshell, PhD,MSW

4 Georgia CARE-NET Coalition June 11, 2012 Meeting Continued During the recent CARE-NET Coalition meeting, the Associate State Director of Community Outreach for AARP, Karen R. Cooper shared the following: When we talk about Long-Term Services and Supports in Georgia there are some very insightful statistics. The estimated number of family caregivers at any time during the year is 2 million. (However, since some caregivers do not necessarily define the assistance and care they provide to family members as being a caregiver, that number may be substantially greater.) The unpaid contributions of family caregivers are valued at $13.1 billion dollars. In Georgia 25.2% of Medicaid spending is for home and community based services; while 74.8% of Medicaid spending is for nursing homes. With an estimated 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 every day for the next 17 years, Americans face a growing need for caregiving services. According to AARP s research, more than 43 million Americans serve as unpaid caregivers for adults age 50 and older, and yet nearly one in four caregivers say they have a difficult time coordinating care. Karen R. Cooper, APR Associate State Director Community Outreach When the survey is completed, a link to the survey will be developed that Care-Nets can promote to caregivers through their memberships and others. AARP GA will also include the survey on the state website, and promote through Facebook and Twitter. The survey will be live for 4-6 weeks to allow enough time for us to promote the survey and for caregivers to complete it using Survey Monkey. Family caregivers often rely on a patchwork of care services that frequently fall short in helping their loved one with long-term care. Adding to the challenge is that most caregivers have little time for research and few ideas about where to look for help. This is why AARP GA and RCI have begun the process of developing and providing a survey geared to caregivers in Georgia to help caregivers know how to access the research and learn the information. The first step of the survey is to determine 5-6 questions that will be asked. With the assistance of an AARP Research Advisor, appropriate choices for the questions will be determined. We will be working on developing the questions and formats in the next few months. Hopefully, the compiled information will be available by November. This will allow us to share the answers from the survey during the Middle Georgia Care Net Conference in Macon on November 8. The information will also be provided to all of the Care Net Coordinators. By learning more about the needs of caregivers in our state, we will be able to focus our efforts to ensure they have the resources they need. It will assist us in knowing, for example, what topics of webinars or publications are most needed and could be most beneficial. And it will allow us to focus our efforts in caregiving in Georgia in 2013 to provide the most benefit. AARP Georgia looks forward to a continued collaboration for caregivers in Georgia with the Care Nets and RCI.

5 GA Mountains/Legacy Link GA Mountains/Legacy Link Upcoming Events Coastal Georgia World Elder Abuse Awareness Day June 15, 2012 Elder Rights Symposium September 6, 2012 Central Savannah River Area 2012 Annual Caregiver Awards Luncheon The Art of Caregiving November 13, 2012 Middle Georgia Caring for the Caregiver November 8, 2012 Middle Georgia CARE-NET West Central Georgia CARE-NET Heart of Georgia Altamaha

6 Heart of Georgia Altahama Middle Georgia Coastal Georgia Georgia Mountains/ Legacy Link

7 CARE-NET Calendar Meeting dates third quarter 2012: Atlanta Regional to be announced Central Savannah Coastal Georgia Heart of Georgia July 25 at 3:00 PM August 28 at 11:30 PM June 20 at 10:00 AM GA Mtns./Legacy Link to be announced Middle Georgia Southern Crescent July 12 at 11:00 AM June 12 at 11:00 AM June 27 at 11:00 AM June 22 at Noon West Central Georgia to be announced For additional information you may contact the CARE-NET Coordinator for each region. Their contact information can be found at: CARE-NET APPRECIATION LUNCHEONS SW GA-W Central Middle GA August 16th 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Griffin Bell Conference Center Americus, Georgia Coastal-Southern-Heart of Georgia Altamaha August 23th-10 a.m.-2 p.m. Okefenokee Technical College Waycross, Georgia Sponsored by AARP 2012 Coalition Meeting Schedule Upcoming Webinars for CARE-NETS July 19th-Alzheimer s 102 August 3rd-Strategies for Managing Problem Behaviors September 20th Alzheimer s 103 Archived Trainings: Sponsored by RCI and GDAS All Meetings will be held at the: Methodist Children s Home Macon, GA 10:00 AM 2:00 PM September 18, 2012 December 4, 2012