At our 2008 conference, scheduled for October 23 & 24, we’ll take the next step, providing a “road map” for how to practically move toward an evidence-based approach in supporting caregivers. You’ll leave the 2008 conference with resources, ideas and practical strategies to help you “raise the bar” and set a new standard for how caregivers are supported by your agency and community.

In 2007, the RCI in cooperation with Johnson & Johnson, launched the National Quality Care Network, a national network committed to promoting quality in the long-term, home and community-based care systems. The goal of the network is to bring together organizations, scientists and advocates involved in quality-improvement initiatives.

Initiatives used by members of the NQCN include the development and dissemination of evidence-based interventions for caregivers, workforce development, public education and advocacy, and ultimately policy, financing and regulatory activities. Each of these strategies will be the focus of at least one "Practice Community" within the NQCN.

The team from Johnson & Johnson and the Rosalynn Carter Institute took part in five grant site visits over the spring and early summer. The team was visiting the sites involved in the Quality Care Connections (QCC) initiative.

Rosalynn Carter Institute's partnership with Johnson and Johnson, QCC, is dedicated to the successful implementation of effective caregiver support programs. Johnson and Johnson is currently funding five community sites involved in implementing proven programs for Alzheimer's caregivers. The work of these sites is pioneering because although many evidence-based programs have been developed in clinical settings, most have not been successfully translated for use in community settings.

RCI Accepting Nominations for 2008 Rosalynn Carter Leadership in Caregiving Award

Named in honor of a great humanitarian, the Rosalynn Carter Leadership in Caregiving Award is the highest award given in the caregiving field. This award recognizes leadership in implementing innovative and creative partnerships between community agencies and caregiving researchers that bridge the gap between science and practice. These partnerships reflect best practices in providing effective caregiver supports to professional, family, and volunteer caregivers.

Twenty-five individuals are now ready to begin "coaching" after having completed two days of training in the Care Transitions Intervention in Athens, Georgia June 23 and June 24, 2008. The training was provided by Dr. Eric Coleman (developer of the program) and his colleagues from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. Training was funded by a grant from Healthcare Georgia Foundation and sponsored by RCI and its partner CARE-NETs as part of the Georgia Coalition for Caregiver Health.

Amy Tribble, RCI’s Director of State Initiatives, will address the July 10 meeting of the Coalition of Advocates for Georgia’s Elderly (CO-AGE). 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. CO-AGE is a diverse coalition, consisting of nearly 300 consumers, providers and associations throughout the state.

At the meeting, the RCI will make a presentation to CO-AGE, requesting that they select funding for family caregiver education as their budget priority for the upcoming session of the Georgia General Assembly.

Over thirty persons representing CARE-NETs from across the state met in Macon on June 10 to receive training to help them effectively advocate on behalf of Georgia’s caregivers.

The training was lead by Dave Blanchard, Public Policy Director for the Atlanta Alliance of Developmental Disabilities; Melanie McNeil, Executive Director for the Georgia Council on Aging; Jerilyn Leverett, Executive Director for Disability Connections (The Middle Georgia Center for Independent Living); and Amy Tribble, Director of State Initiatives for RCI. The presenters discussed their advocacy strategies and how these strategies could be used to create or change public policy to benefit caregivers.

According to an AARP publication, more than 1.3 million family caregivers in Georgia provide billions of dollars of care to family members living with chronic illnesses, disabilities and limitations of aging. In fact, Georgia ranks seventh in the country in number of caregivers. These family caregivers are supported in their work by an army of dedicated volunteer and paraprofessional caregivers. The work of these individuals together makes it possible for Georgians with disabilities and chronic illnesses to live with dignity in the community.

The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving, in cooperation with the Georgia CARE-NETS, is accepting nominations for the Georgia Caregiver of the Year Awards. The awards honor the work of caregivers and focus public attention on the contributions of caregivers throughout the state.

LOCAL/CAMPUS NEWS

In the fall of 2007, Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) launched a certificate program unlike any other in the nation. The Caregiving Specialist Certificate Program focuses on training leaders to overcome “the Caregiving Crisis” in America. While many students are currently working toward their Certificate, the first student to complete all requirements was recognized during GSW’s Spring Commencement.

The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving (RCI) awarded two Carter Academic-Service Entrepreneur (CASE) Grants recently for service projects to be conducted by students at Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW).

The $1,000 Academic-Service grants are administered by the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Partnership Foundation, and sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The RCI served as a host site for grant administration.

To be eligible for the RCI CASE grants, the GSW student is required to work in partnership with a community non-profit organization on a community-service project related to the student’s studies. The grant funds will be used to support innovative student projects that help build supports for individuals with chronic illnesses, disabilities or limitations of aging AND/OR their caregivers, and benefit the Americus/Sumter County community.

The Caregiver Support Center (CSS), housed at the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving, provides information, education and training on area resources and evidence- based caregiver programs for both family and professional caregivers in the Americus-Sumter County area.

The Caregiver Support Center joins with the Lower Chattahoochee Area Agency on Aging to host monthly Caring Together! meetings at the Lake House on the Campus of Georgia Southwestern. At Caring Together!, family caregivers meet to discuss the challenges they face and share the solutions they have found in their role as family caregiver.