TIME IS RUNNING OUT: Why Massachusetts Family Caregivers Need the CARE Act Passed NOW!

Today, more than 844,000 Bay State residents are providing in-home care for an aging parent or loved. This home-based care is allowing those loved ones to remain their own homes.

Massachusetts family caregivers have a huge responsibility, and at AARP we’re committed to help lighten their load.

AARP is urging lawmakers to enact legislation known as CARE Act - OnePager - MA Sept Update for SM—the Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act—to better support family caregivers as they safely help Massachusetts seniors stay at home.

Pending CARE Act legislation includes Massachusetts House Bill H3911, “An Act establishing the caregiver advise, record and enable (CARE) act," sponsored by Rep. Chris Walsh (D-Framingham).

CARE Act - OnePager - MA Sept Update for SM(pdf) recognizes the critical role family caregivers play in keeping their loved ones out of costly institutions. To that end, the bill features three important provisions:

1. The hospital patient is provided with an opportunity to designate a family caregiver;
2. The family caregiver is notified if the loved one is to be discharged to another facility or back home; and,
3. The facility must provide an explanation and live instruction of the medical tasks – such as medication management, injections, wound care, and transfers – that the family caregiver will perform at home.

Are you a Massachusetts resident with a caregiving story?

Please share it with us at iheartcaregivers.org.

Find caregiver resources at our Caregiving Resource Center. 

• More than half (55 percent) of family caregivers report being overwhelmed by the amount of care their family member needs.
• Nearly 4 in 10 (38 percent) family caregivers report a moderate (20 percent) to high degree (18 percent) of financial strain as a result of providing care.
• In 2014, the majority (60 percent) of family caregivers had full- or part-time jobs.
• In 2010, there were 7.2 potential family caregivers for every person age 80 and older. By 2030, that ratio will fall sharply to 4 to 1, and is projected to drop further to 3 to 1 in 2050.

CLICK HERE to urge Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Stanley Rosenberg to take action NOW and make the CARE Act law across the state!

On behalf of Bay State family caregivers, thank you!

For more information, contact AARPMA Advocacy Director Jess Costantino at 617-305-0538 or jcostantino@aarp.org.