This website is best viewed in a browser that supports web standards.

Skip to content or, if you would rather, Skip to navigation.

Listen Live
Donate
MARYVILLE

KXCV-KRNW


News Brief

Feb. 9, 2018DES MOINES, Iowa |  By: INS

Iowa bill would ensure family caregivers receive needed training

An Iowa Senate committee is considering a bill that would ensure family caregivers have training to perform some types of medical needs when their loved ones are discharged from a hospital or rehabilitation center. The CARE Act would allow a patient to designate a person to carry out medical and physical tasks, such as giving medication or injections and safely moving the patient when needed. Anthony Carroll with AARP Iowa says on any given day, 317,000 Iowans are providing care for older parents, spouses and others who need help.

More than three dozen states have passed similar legislation. AARP research has shown hospital readmission is reduced when caregivers receive more thorough instructions. But some hospitals object to CARE laws because of staff time constraints, and their concerns that a family caregiver could mishandle medical treatment. Carroll says even when readmission occurs requiring another overnight stay, many caregivers still report receiving little – if any – training from health professionals when they leave.

As the number of older Americans with chronic conditions has grown, Carroll says family caregivers have taken on medical tasks once provided only in hospitals, nursing homes or by home-care professionals. An AARP study also confirms caregiving can take its toll. When asked to rate their own health, almost 20 percent of caregivers described it as “fair to poor” – which is double the rate of non-caregivers.