New Jersey's CARE Act Will Help Women

Annette Birkenfeld

When older adults need support from loved ones to get through their recovery period at home after checking out of a hospital, who assumes the burden of “caregiving”? The answer is usually women, who are already juggling with the demands of being competent at work, be responsible as wives, mothers and daughters. On behalf of these women, spending on average, 20 hours per week in this unpaid role of family caregiving,

I would like to send my heartiest appreciation to New Jersey’s legislative leaders and Governor Christie for signing the Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable Act, also known as the CARE Act. This new law will support our caregiving women in receiving resources, training, and information from the hospitals to manage transitions between care facilities and handle post-discharge care, such as medication management, administering injections, operating specialized medical equipment, and performing wound care.

I also commend all the primary Assembly and Senate sponsors of the CARE Act for acknowledging family caregiving as an important public health concern, especially for New Jersey’s female caregivers, who have been long putting up with the physical, emotional and financial stress of caregiving.

 

Signed,

Tasneem Faridi

Franklin Park, NJ