We R.A.I.S.E.d Our Concerns!
On February 1st, Caregiver’s Respite hosted a Special Concerns for Caregivers Session highlighting the R.A.I.S.E Family Caregiver Act.
Check out our January blog post for more information about the R.A.I.S.E. Act and also our interview on WREG’s Live at 9:
This Special Session allowed us a unique opportunity to submit feedback to the RAISE Family Caregiver Advisory Council. We were excited as this meeting had over 40 caregiver types and community resources represented plus we saw reps from the VA and senior care facilities present.
During the session, we had a chance to break into smaller groups to talk about what was most important for our families. After brainstorming, we came up with several points for the submission. Some of the topics we covered included:
- Respite Options
- Financial Security
- Workplace Issues
- Assessment and Service Planning
- Education Planning and Support
For each topic, we came up with a general description of the issue and how it affects caregivers plus we were able to discuss a recommendation for a possible solution.
While we know the Council wont be able to specifically address all of these issues right away (we were one one over 600 submissions from across the country!!), we feel it was extremely important to make sure our voices are included as they begin to navigate the details of this new act.
We discovered that over 50% of the people in attendance experienced some adversities when dealing with personal care workers. Many of the topics we covered in the Special Session resonated strongly with multiple caregivers. Some who came feeling like they were dealing with these issues alone were able to find support in the room and were directed to resources that will be able to help in the future.
Caregiver’s Respite will offer many more opportunities for caregiver’s to gather, discuss, and discover resources throughout the year.
We will delve into each of these topics more in depth throughout the year so stay tuned and feel free to comment below with some of the caregiving concerns that affect your family!
