CARE Act wallet card available for family caregivers

About 85,000 Alaskans are caring for an older parent, spouse, or other loved one, helping them to live independently. These family caregivers have a huge responsibility, and now there’s support in place that will make life a little bit easier for them.

The Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act went into effect January 1, 2017. It supports family caregivers when their loved ones go into the hospital and as they transition home. Alaska became the 32nd state/territory to sign the CARE Act in law.

The CARE Act recognizes the critical role family caregivers play in keeping their loved ones out of costly institutions.

The bill features three important provisions:

♥ The name of a family or other unpaid caregiver is recorded when a loved one is admitted into a hospital;
♥ The caregiver is notified when the loved one is to be discharged back home; and
♥ The hospital must provide a demonstration — either in person or recorded instruction — of the medical tasks, such as wound care, medication management, injections, and transfers that the family caregiver will perform at home.

More than 85,000 family caregivers in Alaska help their loved ones to live independently, keeping them out of costly institutions, such as nursing homes. AARP Alaska worked on passage of the legislation because supporting family caregivers is one of our top priorities.

Download a CARE Act wallet card—to keep with your insurance card—so you’ll have important information about this new law available when you need it most. Visit action.aarp.org/AKCareAct