We're Gearing Up for Legislative Session

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State legislators will be back in session in May, and AARP North Carolina is gearing up to advocate for the state’s 1.3 million unpaid family caregivers, who save the state money on long-term care costs.

Topping the legislative agenda is the Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act, which would allow every hospital patient to designate a family caregiver—and would require hospitals to make reasonable efforts to show caregivers how to perform medical tasks their loved ones will need at home. Most North Carolina caregivers 45 and older have helped with nursing or medical tasks at home, a 2015 AARP survey found.

The state office also wants to expand the state’s 2-1-1 phone service, which provides free confidential help to those seeking health and human services.

To get involved, call Charmaine Fuller Cooper, AARP associate state director for advocacy, at 919-508-0266.