AARP Supports Family Caregivers

Did you know that there are 4.4 million unpaid family caregivers in California? What’s a caregiver you ask? You may be one and not even know it!

If you’re caring for a parent, grandparent, or other loved one who needs help with daily living, YOU are a caregiver.

Today, millions of Californians are providing care for a family member, partner, or friend with a chronic, disabling, or serious health condition. These “family caregivers” provide indispensable help with such tasks as meal-preparation, bathing, dressing, administering medications and wound-care. AARP has estimated that the annual economic value of these services is more than $57 BILLION.

At the same time, family caregiving today is more complex, costly, stressful, and demanding than at any other time. Many family caregivers are unprepared to provide the necessary care for a loved one who has been discharged from a hospital.

That’s why AARP strongly advocated for the passage of the California Hospital & Family Caregiver Law, which will:

• Require California hospitals to record the name of the family caregiver when a loved one is admitted to a hospital, notify the family caregiver when the loved one is to be discharged to another facility or home, and provide detailed instruction about the medical tasks that the family caregiver will perform.
• Require this information to include, but not be limited to, education and counseling about the patient’s medications, including dosing and proper use of medication delivery devices, when applicable.
• Require the information be provided in a culturally appropriate manner in a language that is understood by the patient and caregiver, and includes an opportunity for the caregiver to ask questions.
• Require hospital discharge planning policies to ensure that planning is appropriate to the condition of the patient, meets the patient’s needs and acuity, and is appropriate to the discharge destination.

The need to support family caregivers is greater than it has ever been, and it will continue to grow as our population ages. The California Hospital & Family Caregiver Law is an important step toward ensuring that this need is met.

This November, during National Family Caregivers Month, connect with AARP in Los Angeles as we share resources available to caregivers, information about a new law to help you, The Hospital and Family Caregiver Law, and learn more about how you can share your story through our I Heart Caregivers effort.

 Join the teletown hall by entering this link into your browser search bar: http://bit.ly/AARPCaregiving.

• 11/10 with Adai Lamar, a caregiver and DJ personality with KJLH from 7pm-8pm PT
• 11/11 with Talaya Trigueros, a caregiver and DJ personality with KTWV from 7pm-8pm PT
• 11/12 from 7pm-9pm

No pre-registration is required for these events; just join using the link above.