GEORGIA QUALITY CARE NETWORK

Rosalynn Carter Institute and CARE-NETS Establish

State-wide Quality Care Network

Americus, GA – The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving (RCI) has begun work with its partner CARE-NETs to establish a state-wide network of agencies, coalitions and other stakeholders committed to improving the quality of home and community-based services in Georgia. The first initiative of the Georgia Quality Care Network will be to provide statewide training of caregivers in a variety of evidence-based caregiver programs. Training will be offered to individuals and agencies across Georgia providing long-term, home and community-based care for the elderly and individuals with chronic illnesses and disability. In addition, the RCI will create an online resource center for agencies and caregivers to use to obtain information about effective caregiving interventions.

The grant is part of a major workforce development initiative launched by the Healthcare Georgia Foundation to improve the skills and effectiveness of both paid caregivers (e.g. home health aides) and family caregivers in Georgia. Created in 1999 as an independent, private foundation, the Healthcare Georgia Foundation’s mission is to advance the health of all Georgians and to expand access to affordable, quality healthcare for underserved individuals and communities.

Grant support from the Foundation will allow the Rosalynn Carter Institute to:

• Provide training on evidence-based caregiver interventions to 300 home and community-based service providers across Georgia.

• Provide Georgia’s 12 CARE-NETs with incentive grants and technical assistance in the development and delivery of caregiving training. CARE-NETS are unique coalitions of caregiver support organizations operating in every region of the state.

• Develop an online resource center that will maintain a current database of effective caregiver interventions.

• Convene an annual meeting of all Home and Community-Based Services grantees on the campus of Georgia Southwestern State University.

To find out more about the training or this grant, contact Amy Tribble, Director of State Initiatives at the Rosalynn Carter Institute or Richard Birkel, Executive Director of RCI.

Georgia's Caregiver Networks: CARE-NETS

Georgia's CARE-NETs are Leaders in Supporting Family and Professional Caregivers in their communities.

CARE-NETs serve many functions. In particular, they:

1. Link professional and family caregivers in a supportive community concerned with caregiving.
2. Identify and study community caregiving strengths and needs.
3. Develop effective services and educational programs for caregivers.
4. Organize community-based forums for public feedback on caregiving issues.
5. Develop a resource capacity for information on caregiving.
6. Provide a source of support for caregivers.
7. Foster strong relationships among community leaders concerned about Caregivers
8. Provide a forum for agencies and stakeholders to work collaboratively, coordinating human and fiscal resources.
9. Educate the community about caregiving.
10. Identify policy issues and advocate on behalf of Caregivers.
11. Work to assure Quality Care in their communities.

Background:

Beginning in the 1990s, RCI developed the CARE-NET (Caregivers Network) program as a unique coalition of caregiver support organizations across a broad array of illnesses and disabilities. The coalitions involved leaders and advocates from community and state agencies, private corporations and churches together with family caregivers in the same planning process.

The creation of 12 community CARE-NET coalitions, one in each Area Agency on Aging district in Georgia, has been supported by grants from the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Administration on Aging. These active and ongoing coalitions are highly suited to address the major needs of all caregivers. CARE-NET coalitions provide ongoing assessment of community resources, identify and remedy gaps in services, share information and resources among agencies, develop strategies for complementary professional and family caregiver activities, and offer caregiver education. Today, this caregiver network represents a unique resource in the state of Georgia and one of the most promising opportunities for developing comprehensive caregiver supports anywhere in the country.

Purpose and Rationale:

In America today more than 50 million family caregivers provide the largest proportion of care for dependent elderly individuals as well as adults and children with disabilities and chronic illnesses. The health and well-being of these family caregivers is rapidly becoming a major public health concern. Research has found that family caregivers report frequent mental distress, have more illness including high rates of clinical depression, and more health problems in general than the non-caregiving population.

These problems will accelerate in the near future as the number of caregiving families increases along with the anticipated rise in our elderly population as the "baby boomers" age.

Although we know how to mitigate these negative effects, few communities have been able to develop and maintain an adequate "infrastructure" of quality caregiver supports. Research has found that the provision of services such as respite care, support groups, education and help with developing personal coping strategies can reduce caregiver stress, improve caregiver health, and extend the time that dependent individuals can remain in the community without caregiver "burnout".

One of the main problems in building community capacity is the lack of organizational leadership for collaborative planning and solutions. Remarkably, there is no single agency responsible for assisting family caregivers or for the design and development of needed supports. Further, when resources are available, they are often targeted narrowly to those caring for people in specific illness categories such as cancer, stroke, diabetes, mental retardation, or the frail elderly. Many caregivers are at a loss to know where to turn for help. This highly fragmented system generates confusion and fails to provide the genuine, comprehensive aid overburdened caregivers need.

Underlying Principles:

The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving (RCI) approach to building caregiver support is based on three primary observations gained from 20 years of experience. First, we find that caregivers across all types of disabilities and illness share experiences and needs that make them highly motivated to collaborate in identifying and implementing programs that are mutually beneficial. Second, we have learned that having professional and family caregivers working closely together creates a powerful synergy, promotes mutual understanding, and enables creative approaches that best blend their respective contributions. Finally, we find that bringing private providers, non-profits and public agencies together provides the best mix of leadership, perspective and skills for coalition success.