AARP honors R.I. lawmakers for supporting family caregivers

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To recognize their work to support family caregivers in Rhode Island, AARP has honored as “Capitol Caregivers” Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed, House Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello, Senators Gayle L. Goldin and Joshua Miller, and Representatives Eileen S. Naughton and Joseph M. McNamara. These elected officials have advanced policies to help family caregivers who are making it possible for older Rhode Islanders to live independently at home - where they want to be, AARP states.

Capitol Caregiver certificates of appreciation were presented to the legislators at State House ceremonies on March 9.

“AARP thanks these members of the General Assembly for championing passage of the CARE Act in 2015,” said AARP Rhode Island State Director Kathleen Connell. “They provided integral leadership to pass the CARE Act and helped make the huge responsibilities of family caregivers in Rhode Islanders a little bit easier.”  

According to AARP’s Public Policy Institute, at any time during the year, an estimated 148,000 Rhode Island caregivers step up to provide 142 million hours of care for an aging parent or loved one, helping them to live independently in their own homes. 

They help with bathing and dressing, meal preparation, managing finances, transportation, grocery shopping and more.  Today, many family caregivers even perform medical tasks like wound care, injections, and complex medication management.

The CARE Act, which went into effect in March, allows the family caregiver to receive timely information in order to better provide post-discharge care. By including the “caregiver” designation in the medical record, it shows that the caregiver is valued and it establishes an avenue by which the hospital can share important information.

The act requires hospitals to notify and alert the family caregiver if his/her loved one is being discharged or transferred to another facility. By providing the caregiver with this information, the caregiver can better coordinate and manage the transition from one care setting to another, AARP says.

The act also creates a framework for hospitals to provide the family caregiver with instructions on how to perform after-care medical and nursing tasks that the patient will need once they return home. 

“Family caregivers are the backbone of Rhode Island’s care system,” Connell said. “And they need our support.”

Ruth Bucci, of North Providence, who was a caregiver for her late parents as well as her husband’s parents, believes the CARE Act will help others who are caring for a family member or loved one.

“The CARE Act will make a difference for thousands of Rhode Islanders who need guidance and support,” Bucci said. “It means a lot to many, many people in the state that the General Assembly not only understands what they go through, but enacts legislation that will have lasting benefits.” 

AARP, law, caregivers, Kathleen Connell, Gayle Goldin, Capitol Caregiver