CARE Act wins unanimous passage in Senate

[LANSING, MI] Legislation supporting the state’s family caregivers – an unpaid silent army about 2 million strong who help make it possible for older Michiganders to live independently at home – won overwhelming passage in the state Senate today.

The Senate voted 38-0 for the Michigan Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act that would support and equip family caregivers with the basic information and training they need when their loved ones go into the hospital and as they transition home.

“We’re heartened to see strong bipartisan support to help family caregivers, Michigan’s unsung heroes,” said Paula D. Cunningham, State Director of AARP Michigan. “These are people who work hard to take care of their parents, spouses or other loved ones, often while trying to keep up with their own jobs and sometimes with children at home. They need our help.”

The legislation, Senate Bill 352 sponsored by Sen. Margaret O’Brien, R-Portage, now goes to the Michigan House.

The Senate’s support is echoed across Michigan, according to a recent EPIC/MRA survey. The poll shows 71 percent of state voters support the CARE Act, while only 12 percent oppose and 17 percent were undecided or refused to respond. The survey of 600 was conducted Oct. 25-31 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

“The poll shows strong support across all groups,” said Bernie Porn, pollster at EPIC/MRA, noting that a large majority of Republicans, Democrats and Independents, all age groups, men and women, and voters in all regions of the state back the CARE Act.

Groups supporting the bill include AARP Michigan, the Michigan Aging and Adult Services Agency of the State Department of Health and Human Services, Area Agencies on Aging Association of Michigan, Michigan Association of Health Plans, Sparrow Hospital and Alzheimer’s Association Michigan Chapters.

In Michigan, there are 2 million caregivers at any point in the year who devote 1.4 billion hours in unpaid care to loved ones at a total value of $15.5 billion, according to a report by AARP’s Public Policy Institute.

AARP has championed the introduction of the CARE Act in more than 30 states. The legislation has been passed into law in 18 states.

The Michigan CARE Act is intended to help families when a loved one is admitted to a hospital by ensuring that hospitals:

• Record name of the family caregiver;
• Notify the family caregiver when the patent is going to be discharged back home or moved to another facility;
• Provide instructions to the caregiver about any medical tasks he or she will need to perform when the patient comes home.