Easing the Transition from Hospital to Home

State legislators unanimously passed legislation in May to help family caregivers be better prepared when a loved one comes home from a hospital stay. Gov. David Ige (D) signed the bill in June, and the new law will take effect July 1, 2017.

Known as the Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act, the law will allow every hospital patient to designate a family caregiver, whose name will be recorded in the patient’s chart. The hospital will notify the caregiver about discharge or transfer plans and will offer instructions for follow-up care, which may include complex tasks such as managing medications or giving injections. AARP Hawaii is one of 21 organizations in a coalition that has been working since 2014 to pass this law.

In 2013, there were about 154,000 family caregivers in Hawaii, providing unpaid services valued at $2.1 billion. The CARE Act will support their efforts to provide quality care for aging loved ones. AARP Hawaii will help inform consumers about their rights under the law.