Bipartisan law to
establish a national strategy to support family caregivers is endorsed
by over 60 aging and disability organizations
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) are applauding yesterday’s signage of the
Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage (
RAISE) Family Caregivers Act into law. This bipartisan law establishes a national strategy to support family caregivers across the country.
The
RAISE Family Caregivers Act directs the Secretary of
Health and Human Services to develop and sustain a national strategy to
recognize and support the more than 40 million family caregivers in the
United States. The bipartisan law is endorsed by over 60 aging and
disability organizations, including the AARP, the Alzheimer’s
Association, the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the Arc.
“When we work together across party lines we can get things done.
This bipartisan effort is especially personal to me as I was raised by
my maternal grandparents and later served as my grandmother’s primary
caretaker as she grew older. I know the challenges that family
caregivers face. I’ve listened to family caregivers across Wisconsin.
This reform will provide much-needed support for family caregivers and
help ensure that our older adults and loved ones with disabilities
receive the highest quality care in their own homes,”
said Senator Baldwin. “Every day, family caregivers do right by their loved ones, and I am proud to say we are doing right by them with the
RAISE Family Caregivers Act being signed into law to formally recognize and support family caregivers across this country.”
“Family caregivers play an essential role in our communities by
dedicating time and attention and making countless personal and
financial sacrifices to care for their loved ones,”
said Senator Collins.
“I am delighted that our bipartisan legislation to develop a
coordinated strategic plan to leverage our resources, promote best
practices, and expand services and training available to caregivers has
been signed into law. Family caregivers across America will now receive
the much-needed recognition they deserve as well as the resources and
training needed to better balance the full-time job of caregiving along
with everything else that life brings.”
“Signing the
RAISE Family Caregivers Act into law is an
important step in supporting the nation’s 40 million family caregivers
who take care of loved ones, many of them elderly, often with very
little support or resources available to them,”
said AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins.
“With the rapid growth of our aging population, it’s reasonable to say
that many of us will end up either being a caregiver, or needing one. As
a result, the potential benefits of this legislation are both critical
and wide reaching.”
The
RAISE Family Caregivers Act (S. 1028) was supported by a
broad bipartisan coalition of cosponsors including Senators Lisa
Murkowski (R-AK), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV),
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chris Coons (D-DE), Joe Donnelly (D-IN),
Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Jeff
Merkley (D-OR), Jon Tester (D-MT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Angus King
(I-ME).
Important Facts on Family Caregivers:
- 40 million family caregivers in the United States provided an estimated $470 billion in uncompensated long-term care in 2013.
- Many caregivers are putting their own health at risk since
caregivers experience high levels of stress and have a greater incidence
of chronic conditions like heart disease, cancer, and depression.
- Every day, 10,000 baby boomers turn 65, and as many as 90 percent of them have one or more chronic health conditions.
- Americans 85 and older are the fastest growing segment of the aging
population. This population is most at risk for multiple and interacting
health problems that can lead to disability and the need for
round-the-clock care.
Learn more about the
RAISE Family Caregivers Act here.
Full Article & Source:
U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin and Susan Collins Praise Signage of Bipartisan RAISE Family Caregivers Act
