Hawaii Family Caregivers Can Get CARE Act Wallet Cards

More than 154,000 people in Hawaii care for parents, spouses or other loved ones, helping them to live independently in their own homes. These family caregivers have a huge responsibility, and on July 1, a new law takes effect that will make life a little easier for them.

The CARE (Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable) Act helps family caregivers when their loved ones go into the hospital and as they transition home. The CARE Act requires Hawaii’s acute care hospitals to:

• Provide the patient with the opportunity to designate a family caregiver on their medical record.
• Notify you prior to the patient’s discharge or transfer to another facility.
• Offer you instructions on the medical tasks you will need to perform at home after the patient is discharged.

AARP Hawaii fought for the CARE Act because supporting caregivers is a top priority for all of us.

We are offering wallet-sized cards with your rights under the CARE Act that can be placed in your and your loved one’s wallets—next to your insurance cards. That way, you’ll both have important information about this new law available when you need it most.

To get the free wallet card go to  action.aarp.org/careHI  or call 1-877-333-5885

For more information about caregiving resources, visit aarp.org/caregiving or call (866) 295-7282. To share your caregiving story, visit http://aarp.org/iheartcaregivers.