[September 18, 2014]

The "Caregiver Corps" and Volunteering for Your Country: A Great Intergenerational Opportunity

Today the Altarum Institute's Center for Elder Care and Advanced Illness (CECAI) and Caregiver Action Network (CAN) congratulated Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) and colleagues for introducing the Caregiver Corps Act of 2014.

As introduced, the bill proposes to establish a network of locally based and locally run Caregiver Corps that would recruit volunteers who are motivated to learn from-and improve the quality of life for-older and disabled community members. In doing so, Corps programs would reflect the character and resources of the culture and communities in which they are based.

Caregiver Corps programs would welcome volunteers of all ages, who would first be screened and trained to provide high-quality companionship and basic nonmedical assistance (i.e., simple preparation of food; safely accompanying an elder or person with a disability outside the home; providing assistance with calls, computers, and other devices; arranging for minor repairs to be made; and techniques for identifying and sharing mutual interests).

Volunteers could be recognized for their work through such mechanisms as time banking and possibly modest stipends intended to cover transportation costs. For younger Corps volunteers who are enrolled in college or university, arrangements for tuition discounts or academic credit could be made.

"Sen. Casey's bill is a clear sign of a change in Washington, DC, as we begin to seriously plan for the 'age boom' of the 21^st century," CECAI Director Dr. Joanne Lynn said. "Now that we have learned more about how to treat conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and stroke, many of us will live int our 80s and perhaps longer. We're entering a period when the number of older adults will be growing faster than the number of children, and many elders are living alone. This means we need to change certain things about how we think about delivering health care and social services and how we can best look out for each other in our own communities."

The bill envisions local Corps programs would be guided by a core training and operational toolkit developed and made available by the federal government.

Noting that local Corps programs would serve as a link between homebound people and the larger world, CAN CEO John Schall said, "Volunteers would be immeasurably helpful to already overburdened family caregivers." Schall went on to explain, "This initiative can substantially ameliorate the coming 'caregiving cliff' that will be brought on by the nation's demographic changes and enhance the health and quality of life for family caregivers and their loved ones, wherever they live."

As organized, trained volunteers, Corps members would supplement the support of family caregivers and complement the vital work of direct care workers, but would not provide medical care. Requirements for administration of local Corps would be simple and straightforward. Programs would

• Conduct screening and criminal history background checks of volunteers;
• Provide in-person orientation, core training, and any supplemental training a community might wish to offer;
• Administer a system to match volunteers with adults in the community and a system for tracking outcomes of volunteer assistance; and
• Establish ways to appropriately recognize volunteers' time and commitment (i.e., through a system of credits toward future need [time banking], small stipends, or tuition credits and discounts).

To ensure consistency and to provide guidance and support for local programs, the Caregiver Corps Act calls for development of a core training and operational toolkit that would help communities avoid or solve problems as they launch. Local Corps could form as new organizations, or existing organizations could qualify and affiliate. Local Corps programs could be sponsored by private- or public-sector organizations or created through a community coalition.

Caregiver Action Network (www.caregiveraction.org) is the nation's leading family caregiver organization working to improve the quality of life for the more than 90 million Americans who care for loved ones with chronic conditions, disabilities, disease, or the frailties of old age. CAN serves a broad spectrum of family caregivers ranging from the parents of children with special needs, to the families and friends of wounded soldiers; from a young couple dealing with a diagnosis of MS, to adult children caring for parents with Alzheimer's disease. CAN (formerly the National Family Caregivers Association) is a non-profit organization providing education, peer support, and resources to family caregivers across the country free of charge.

Altarum Institute (http://www.altarum.org) integrates objective research and client-centered consulting skills to deliver comprehensive, systems-based solutions that improve health and health care. Altarum employs almost 400 individuals and is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with additional offices in the Washington, DC, area; Portland, Maine; and San Antonio, Texas.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140918005659/en/

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