Caregiving

The emotional and economic toll of caregiving can be overwhelming. In the 2024 legislative session, AARP Connecticut will push to allow workers to use paid sick days for caregiving, expand the number of businesses required to offer paid sick days and establish a state tax credit for family caregivers.

While some nursing homes offer quality care, others reap profit while neglecting patient needs, says Rep. Jane Garibay (D-Windsor). That will change under a new state law designed to increase transparency around nursing home ownership.

AARP’s purpose is to empower people to choose how they live as they age. Many policy changes enacted this legislative session will help Connecticut residents do just that.

Latest AARP research attaches $18.43 value to the estimated 390 million hours of unpaid care that family caregivers provided in 2021

Lawmakers are hearing several pieces of legislation related to nursing homes and long-term care at a joint public hearing of the Aging Committee and Human Services Committee in Hartford today. Advocates from AARP Connecticut, the Center for Medicare Advocacy, Connecticut Legal Services, Greater Hartford Legal Aid and New Haven Legal Assistance, the Connecticut Statewide Family Council, the Statewide Coalition of Presidents of Residents Councils, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, and 1199 SEIU joined lawmakers to express their united support for proposals that would improve staffing levels, accountability, and financial transparency.

AARP Connecticut State Director Nora Duncan provided the following statement in response to the biennial budget Governor Lamont proposed today:

AARP’s mission is to empower people to choose how they live as they age, and an important part of choosing how we live as we age is being able to choose where we live as we age. Most older adults want to remain in their own home and community as they age, but financial barriers and limited service options can make this difficult. We were pleased that the Connecticut legislature passed a state budget and several pieces of legislation that will support older adults who wish to age in place.

AARP Connecticut will work with lawmakers during the state’s 2022 legislative session to support and advocate on a variety of important policies and issues that affect residents and their families.

Connecticut passed the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act in 2019, which can pay workers up to $780 a week for 12 weeks when time off of work is required. Residents can access benefits starting January 1.

More than 4 out of 5 Americans say they want to receive care at home instead of in an institutional setting if they need long-term care services in the future, according to a recent AARP survey. As part of ongoing state and federal efforts to “rebalance” long-term services and supports, the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) included a 10% temporary enhancement to the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for home and community-based services (HCBS). This unprecedented investment in home and community-based services presents Connecticut with a tremendous opportunity to bolster the programs and services that allow individuals to safely remain in their homes as they age.