CARE-NET: CAREGIVER ADVOCACY

Caregiver Training Initiative Received Interest from CO-AGE

The Coalition of Advocates for Georgia’s Elderly (CO-AGE) is convened by the Georgia Council on Aging and provides a forum for advocates to identify and address the concerns of older Georgians. This group met July 10 to select a budget priority and two legislative priorities to support when advocating at the Georgia General Assembly.

RCI’s Director of State Initiatives, Amy Tribble, addressed CO-AGE to make a case for Caregiver Training & Education. “The RCI in conjunction with the CARE-NETs is utilizing funding from the Healthcare Georgia Foundation to educate caregivers and caregiver trainers throughout the state of Georgia,” Tribble said. “But there are over one million family caregivers in the state of Georgia, as well as professional caregivers who need training. Additional funding is needed to offer adequate training on a statewide basis.”

While there was a high level of interest in and support of this issue, CO-AGE members ultimately voted to advocate for other budget priorities and issues. As their budget priority, the coalition will campaign to provide a stipend for Georgia grandparents raising their grandchildren.

CO-AGE selected two important legislative issues for their advocacy focus:

• They will advocate for the creation of a stand alone Department of Aging which reports to the governor.

• And they will advocate for the Parent Protection Act, which gives working caregivers the ability to take up to 24 hours of unpaid leave per year to perform caregiving duties.

“CO-AGE will be supporting legislation that is very important for caregivers in Georgia,” Tribble said. “While they did not vote for our budget priority, I feel like the RCI raised awareness about the need for Caregiver Training and Education. I expect a great deal of support from CO-AGE over the years as we strive to support caregivers in the state of Georgia.”