Investing in Caregiving

Adult Day Services: Best Kept Secret?

In this episode, we are joined by Bill Zagorski, Chair of the National Adult Day Services Association, to discuss all about Adult Day Services, including the current landscape of adult day services across the country, the benefits to caregivers, the importance of messaging, and how funding can better support these programs. 
References
LinkedIn: National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA): Overview | LinkedIn
About NADSA | Fairfax, VA | National Adult Day Services Association
NADSA Research Overview
Genworth Cost of Care Survey
CDC NPALS Information
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/npals/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/npals/study-cycles/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/npals/study-cycles/2020.html
 
 

The Role of Research in Supporting Caregivers

For this episode, we are joined by Dr. Elena Fazio, Director of the Office of Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer's Disease-Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) Strategic Coordination in the Division of Behavioral and Social Research at the National Institute on Aging. Dr. Fazio’s office works to align priorities with those of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act and to make progress toward the plan’s goals of preventing, effectively treating, and supporting care for those living with dementia and their care partners.
 
References
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/caregiving
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/caregiving/caregiver-worksheets
www.alzheimers.gov 
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers-and-dementia/about-adear-center
https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/milestones
https://www.nia.nih.gov/2023-dementia-care-summit 

New York Fair Pay for Home Care

In 2022, New York Caring Majority, co-convened by Jews for Racial and Economic Justice and Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network, secured more than $7.4 billion in the New York state budget to raise wages for home care workers. This campaign won the largest investment in home care wages in any U.S. state. In this episode, we are joined by Ilana Berger, the Hand in Hand New York Director and Bobbie Sackman, a member of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice and Campaign Leader with the New York Caring Majority to discuss the campaign.
 
References
New York Caring Majority
Campaign Case Study
The Case for Public Investment in Home Care 
CUNY Fair Pay for Home Care: Estimated Costs and Savings 
WHEC: New study looks at home care versus nursing care
2020 PSA https://vimeo.com/458381993
2022 PSA https://vimeo.com/665773283
Press Coverage
Many of Us Want to Age at Home. But That Option Is Fading Fast
Hourly wages for home care workers to increase by $3 (timesunion.com)
CRAINS: Exclusive: Home care could cost up to 65% less than nursing home care, report finds
Thousands Impacted Due to NY's Home Healthcare Aide Shortage
Home care workers rally for more pay, saying it's the only way to ease chronic shortage
Home health care workers advocate on the push for higher pay
Advocates decry budget impacts on home care workforce

Supporting Unsung Heroes - A Conversation with the VA Caregiver Support Program

Happy National Family Caregivers Month to our listeners!
We're marking this important month and the upcoming Veterans Day with a conversation about the Veterans Affairs Caregiver Support Program. We sit down with Executive Director, Dr. Colleen Richardson, and Deputy Director, Tim Jobin, to discuss the multitude of supportive programs they offer, how they are listening to caregivers to better shape their programs, and why the Veterans Administration is so committed to serving caregivers. 
Resources
VA Caregiver Support Program Homepage
VA’s Caregiver Support Line: 1-855-260-3274
Caregiver Resources
Campaign for Inclusive Care
VA and Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers Partnership 

It’s Time to Act on RAISE - Driving Action on the National Family Caregiver Strategy

It's been one year since the country's first national strategy to support family caregivers was released. In this episode, we sit down with Jason Resendez, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Caregiving, to reflect on progress made for caregivers over the last year and the important campaign they have launched to drive implementation of the National Strategy. 
 
Resources
National Allice for Caregiving
Act on RAISE Campaign
ACL Announces New Funding to Improve Support for Family Caregivers
National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers
The Framework for Family Caregiving and Public Health
National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers Action Guide for Philanthropy 
 

Addressing the Needs of Diverse Family Caregivers

For this month's episode, we sit down with Lauren Pongan, the National Director of the Diverse Elders Coalition, to learn about their recent work to better understand and highlight the lived experiences of diverse family caregivers for older adults, including a training curriculum to equip professionals with insights into the unique needs of diverse family caregivers.
 
Resources
Family Caregiving in Diverse Communities: Addressing the Needs of Diverse Family Caregivers for Older Adults
Caring for Those who Care
Resources for Providers
The research and development of this training curriculum has been generously funded by The John A. Hartford Foundation.
 
About
The Diverse Elders Coalition advocates for policies and programs that improve aging in our communities as American Indian and Alaska Native Elders; Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian older adults; Black and African American older adults; Hispanic and Latinx older adults; and LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning, and additional identities) older adults. Together we are made up of six national organizations representing a growing majority of millions of older people throughout the country.
We come together to promote policy changes and programmatic solutions that respond to this demographic shift and will remove the barriers facing our communities. We envision a world where all older adults can live full and active lives as they age. 
Facebook: /DiverseElders
Twitter: @DiverseElders

Challenges and Opportunities Facing the Direct Care Workforce

For our first episode of 2023, we sit down with Robert Espinoza, Executive Vice President of Policy at PHI, the national organization focused on improving jobs for direct care workers through research, advocacy, and public education.
References
Direct Care Workers in the United States: Key Facts 
Direct Care Workforce State Index
Man Enough to Care Series
Crisis on the Frontline: New Jersey’s Direct Care Workforce
State Advocacy Initiative to Strengthen the Direct Care Workforce
The National Direct Care Workforce Resource Center
National Direct Care Workforce Capacity Building Center
Quality Jobs Are Essential: California’s Direct Care Workforce and the Master Plan for Aging
About Robert
Robert Espinoza is the Executive Vice President of Policy at PHI, where he oversees its national advocacy and public education division on the direct care workforce. In this role, he also contributes vision and leadership to PHI’s organizational strategy, marketing and business development, and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. In 2020, he was selected for the first-ever CARE 100 list of the most innovative people working to re-imagine how we care in America today and as one of Next Avenue’s 2020 Influencers in Aging. In 2021, he testified before the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor on the need to improve funding nationwide for workforce interventions in direct care.
Robert is a nationally recognized expert and frequent speaker on aging, long-term care, workforce, and equity issues. For more than 20 years, he has spearheaded high-profile advocacy campaigns and written landmark reports on aging and long-term care, LGBTQ+ rights, racial justice, and immigration, among other topics. He has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, CNN, Forbes, and The Washington Post, and his writing has been published in The Huffington Post, The Hill, and POLITICO, among others.
Robert serves on the board of directors for the National Academy of Social Insurance, the FrameWorks Institute, and the American Society on Aging, where he serves as Chair Elect. In 2015, he was appointed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to its Advisory Panel on Outreach and Education, as well as by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to its Forum on Aging, Disability and Independence. In 2018, he was appointed to the Academies’ Committee on the Health and Medical Dimensions of Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults, which released its landmark report in 2020.
Prior to PHI, he was the Senior Director for Public Policy and Communications at SAGE, the country’s premier organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) older adults. At SAGE, he established its national advocacy program—achieving historic wins and numerous distinctions—while authoring multiple seminal reports, such as Out and Visible, a report on the largest, most comprehensive study examining the experiences and attitudes of LGBTQ+ older people. In 2010, he co-founded the Diverse Elders Coalition, a historic, federal coalition focused on improving aging supports for communities of color and LGBTQ+ communities.
 

Celebrating 35 Years with Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers

November is National Family Caregivers month, and no better way to celebrate than with a conversation with the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, who are celebrating their 35th year in operation. In this month's podcast, we chat with Dr. Jennifer Olsen, CEO of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, on a range of initiatives they are leading, including their Working While Caring initiative, a new coalition to engage current and former caregivers, their work with Wounded Warrior Project, and their advocacy goals. 
References
Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation makes lead investment to support the launch of Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers’ national advocacy program – Rosalynn Carter Institute
The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers and Wounded Warrior Project Continue Partnership with Grant for Military and Veteran Caregiver Support – Rosalynn Carter Institute
Working While Caring: Rosalynn Carter Institute Sounds Alarm on Behalf of Employed Family Caregivers – Rosalynn Carter Institute
New White Paper Reveals Why One-in-Five Employees are at Risk of Leaving the Workforce, and What Employers Can Do to Help – Rosalynn Carter Institute
The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers Hosted a Convening in Atlanta to Elevate Caregivers and Explore the Future of Caregiving – Rosalynn Carter Institute

Care Can’t Wait in the States

For this month's podcast, we are joined by Nicole Jorwic, Chief of Advocacy and Campaigns at Caring Across Generations. Nicole shares background on Caring Across Generations and how they are working in states through their newly launched Care Can't Wait in the States initiative - a state-based coalition-building project leveraging the collaborative efforts of six leading care advocacy organizations to create lasting, large-scale care solutions in Illinois, Georgia, and other states. 
 
References
Caring Across Generations - You Are Not Alone
Care Can't Wait - Caring Across Generations

Expanding the National Support Infrastructure for Family Caregivers

For our inaugural podcast episode, we are joined by Mike Wittke, Vice President for Research & Advocacy for the National Alliance for Caregiving. Mike talks to us about their recent work, including a new partnership with public health and updates on their advocacy collaborative as we anticipate the release of the RAISE National Family Caregiving Strategy.
References
National Alliance for Caregiving
Faces of Caregiving
National Chronic Disease Directors
Healthy Brain Initiative
BOLD Act - Public Health Center of Excellence - Dementia Caregiving
Age-Friendly Public Health System Initiative
Association of City and County Health Officials
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials