Tipping Point

I think we've reached the tipping point or are very close to it -- finally the link between family caregivers and chronic illness seems to have been made. Hallelujah! Case in point -- all of the following happened in July.

INTEL sponsored a program entitled: Chronic Illness at the Crossroads and family caregiving ended up being the topic talked about the most, with members of the audience (including individuals representing health plans) having "AHA" moments about the impact of caregiving and the needs of family caregivers.

A new high profile group with big names and big money -- the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease -- has been formed recently to make sure that presidential candidates talk about what they would propose to do about chronic illness and long-term care, all of which is synonymous with family caregiving. 

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) which has totally ignored family caregivers in the past has set goals for helping family caregivers. Three broad goals are to:

• Increase awareness of the role caregivers play within the health care team
• Ease the difficulties that family caregivers face
• Enable family caregivers to provide high quality care

The specific projects they are looking at are: 

• A public awareness campaign
• An initiative to improve the discharge planning process
• Integrating caregiver assessment into the new tools they are developing for a Post-Acute Care Payment Reform Demonstration project
• Integrating family caregiver assessments and training in future Medicaid solicitations for home and community-based demonstration grants

None of this means that we are going to see change soon, but it does mean our needs are on the radar screen and it is none too soon. Life is getting harder, not easier, for family caregivers. But I don't need to tell you that.