Respite Care Act Offers Relief for Family Caregivers

Governments realize that unpaid caregivers help a senior or disabled person to stay in their homes and out of Medicaid - funded nursing homes, saving taxpayers millions of dollars a year. They also recognize that family or friends providing that care need a break, or “respite,” in order to maintain their own health and deal with the stress that comes with being a care giver.
Therefore, before adjourning in December, Congress unanimously approved the Lifespan Respite Care Act, authorizing nearly $300 million in grants over five years to finance the temporary help families need to relieve those unpaid caregivers.

The Act authorizes competitive grants to states through Aging and Disability Resource Centers, which must work in collaboration with state respite coalitions or state respite organizations to make quality respite available and accessible to family caregivers, regardless of age or disability. The Act requires grantees to identify, coordinate and build on federal, state and local respite resources and would help support, expand and streamline planned and emergency respite, and provider recruitment and training.
Respite care may take place at home or out of the home and allows caregivers some time off, while providing quality care and social interaction for loved ones. Respite care also helps keep families together, helps prevent abuse and neglect, and forestalls premature, costly institutionalization and possible impoverishment.
The bill's unanimous passage demonstrates the importance lawmakers place on health-care issues. Bush's support was another effort by the administration to persuade families to use home care and reduce high Medicaid expenditures on nursing homes.