By Judith Bellome

All of us either are, have been or will be a caregiver at some time in our lives. A recent AARP report indicates that there are over 600,000 nonpaid caregivers in Kansas. These are selfless, dedicated people who are the backbone of our health care communities and they save us approximately $4.1 billion a year in health care delivery costs.

Patient discharge planning and discharge instructions should be done by all hospitals to prepare these caregivers to care for their friends and loved ones. Organizations that survey health care institutions list discharge planning and instructions as one criterion for performance measurement; therefore hospital officials state that their institutions are already doing these activities. They see no need for an additional law that places another requirement on already highly regulated facilities. We are lucky in our community to have effective and comprehensive discharge planning by the professionals at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, but that standard is not met in many hospitals across the state.

A 2012 AARP Public Policy Institute report indicates that there is a disconnect between what many hospitals believe is being done versus what home caregivers perceive as being done. Many of these caregivers say they receive few or no instructions or training prior to discharge. In fact, the 2014 State Long-Term Services and Supports Score Card ranks Kansas at 35th out of 50 states in the support for family caregivers.

The problem seems to be that personnel in hospitals routinely ask for patients’ “next-of-kin” and “emergency contacts” on admission. However, most do not offer the patient/guardian an opportunity to name the person who will be performing care in the home. The result is that the actual caregiver may not be the one receiving the necessary training and information.

The Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act has three important components that will help the designated caregiver get the information they need to be successful in the home. It also provides the discharge planners and trainers with the information they need to target training information.

1. The hospital, on admission, must give the patient/guardian the opportunity to identify a specific caregiver. The caregiver’s name and phone numbers are entered into the patient’s record.
2. The hospital staff must notify this person of the date and time of a pending transfer or discharge.
3. The identified caregiver must have the opportunity to receive individual training and discharge instructions.

This bill will benefit Kansans of all ages and will:

l support the patient and caregiver with information that fosters confidence, skill and successful outcomes.

l continue to save health care dollars in care delivery and potentially fewer hospital readmissions

l not cost the state additional dollars

I have contacted our Douglas County state representatives and senators and asked them to support passage of the CARE Act (HB 2058). All Kansans will benefit. Do not let Kansas stay at 35th in the nation in supporting our caregivers.

For more information, an educational program describing the CARE Act is scheduled for 2 p.m. March 6 in the Lawrence Public Library auditorium. Kansas AARP, Lawrence Douglas County Advocacy Council on Aging, OWLs and the Douglas County Coalition on Aging are partnering to sponsor this event.