National Alliance for Caregiving Caregiver Coalition Conference Call April 19, 2012 Pennsylvania Caregiver Support Act

The Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly (CARIE) is a non-profit organization, based in Philadelphia, that has been dedicated to improving the quality of life for vulnerable older people for 35 years. CARIE fulfills its core mission to improve the well being, rights and autonomy of older persons through advocacy, education, and action through a "case to cause" model of advocacy that serves to promote equal access to justice and addresses problems and issues on both the individual and the systemic levels. 100 S. Broad Street 1500 Land Title Building Philadelphia, PA T: F:

CARIE’s Mission “To improve the well-being, rights and autonomy of older persons through advocacy, education and action.” 3

Circle of Advocacy CASE CAUSE ACTION 4

Programs and Services CARIE LINE Long Term Care Ombudsman PA-SMP Education and Research Public Policy Advocacy 5

CARIE LINE Serves more than 3,000 clients/year. Provides options counseling, problem-solving support and information on resources and services. Service over the phone, free of charge and confidential. No geographic boundaries. Assistance also available online at and Special Focus Programs: Victim Advocacy Transportation Advocacy Health Insurance Counseling 6

Long Term Care Ombudsman Program The Long Term Care Ombudsman program provides resident advocacy for thousands of consumers in nearly 150 nursing homes, personal care homes, domiciliary homes and adult daily living centers. CARIE serves residents in facilities located in the north, south, west, southwest and Center City sections of Philadelphia. 7

The Pennsylvania SMP The SMP-PA Health Care Fraud program is a federally funded peer-education program. CARIE provides training to retired Medicare beneficiaries across Pennsylvania to enable them to educate Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries within their communities about health care fraud, how to recognize it, and what to do about it. 8

Education and Research Development and presentation of education and training programs for professionals, administrators and staff in the field of aging and aging services. Competence with Compassion ® train-the-trainer programs and manuals address elder abuse prevention, ethics of long term care and core training for direct care workers. CARIE partners with academic and other institutions on research to improve the well-being of older adults. 9

Public Policy Advocacy Track legislative and policy developments at the local, state and federal levels relevant to older adults and their caregivers. Provide oral and written testimony for presentation to legislators and policy-makers. Inform advocates and other professionals in the field of aging of pertinent legislative and policy initiatives. 10

Action CARIE's advocacy and education programs work to address the many issues that impact frail older adults, including: Ensuring the rights and autonomy of older adults Improving quality of care Accessing services, benefits, and information Funding for services Removing barriers to care Supporting Caregivers 11

PA House Bill 210/Act 112 Governor Corbett signed House Bill 210 into law on December 22, The bill amends the PA Family Caregiver Support Act – “Amending the act of December 19, 1990 (P.L.1234, No.204), entitled ‘An act establishing a program to assist persons who bear primary responsibility for the at-home care of functionally dependent older adults and victims of chronic dementia,’ further providing for intent, for definitions, for caregiver support program, for reimbursements and for entitlement not created.”House Bill 210 CARIE and many others advocated for years to make improvements to this vital program. This is the first update to the program since its inception in

Act 112 Provisions Changes the name of the Family Caregiver Support Act to the Pennsylvania Caregiver Support Act. Provides an increase in the maximum amount available to a qualified caregiver from up to $200/month to up to $500/month for out of pocket expenses incurred by the caregiver. Removes the definition of “relative” to expand reimbursements to non-relative caregivers. Removes the requirement that a caregiver must live with the care recipient. 13

Advocacy Campaign Multi-year effort began around 1995 Legislation first introduced in April 2000 Compromises for passage Other Organizations/Collaborations Communications and Outreach Strategies Lessons Learned/Next Steps 14

15 Sample Flyer – used by the Senior Support Coalition & designed by the PA Home Care Assoc.

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Contact Information Kathy Cubit Director of Advocacy Initiatives Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly (CARIE) 100 South Broad Street, Suite1500 Philadelphia, PA To Access Services Contact: or and To Sign -up for Monthly Newsletters visit: and click on Sign-up Sign-up 17