AARP Honors Governor Hassan with Capitol Caregiver Award

To recognize her work in supporting family caregivers in New Hampshire, AARP honored Governor Maggie Hassan as a 2015 Capitol Caregiver. AARP’s 2015 Capitol Caregiver represents a bipartisan group of state legislators, lieutenant governors and governors from 25 states.

Also receiving the 2015 Capitol Caregiver award was Senator Nancy Stiles and Representative Susan Emerson. These elected officials have advanced policies to help family caregivers who are making it possible for older Granite Staters to live independently at home – where they want to be.

“AARP thanks Governor Hassan for championing the CARE Act, which went into effect in January,” said Doug McNutt, AARP New Hampshire Associate State Director for Advocacy. “This bill helps make the huge responsibility of family caregivers in New Hampshire a bit easier.”

The CARE (Caregiver, Advise, Record, Enable) Act makes sure caregivers are recognized when their loved ones go into the hospital and as they transition home. It requires hospitals to:

• Provide your loved one the opportunity to designate a family caregivers
• Notify you before your loved one is discharged back home or to another facility:
• Give you instructions or training of the medical tasks you will need to perform at home.

 

More than 173,000 Granite Staters provide unpaid care for their older parents, spouses and other loved ones – a contribution valued at about $2.2 billion annually. They help with bathing and dressing, meal preparation, managing finances, transportation, grocery shopping and more. Today, many family caregivers even perform medical tasks like would care, injections and complex medication management.

“Family caregivers are the back bone of our state’s care system,” concluded McNutt. “And they need our support. This is a good step in providing a bit of help for them and their loved ones. We thank Governor Hassan, Senator Nancy Stiles and Representative Emerson for providing the leadership to pass this bill.”

AARP New Hampshire serves 229,000 members age 50 and older in the Granite State.