In 2022, AARP Georgia will have a strong focus on legislation that supports caregivers, specifically the Georgia Caregivers Act.
In all of our states, family caregivers help their elderly parents, spouses, adults and children with disabilities, and other family members to live independently in their homes and communities—rather than in expensive, taxpayer-funded facilities. They help with meal prep, managing finances, transportation, and more.
Many Georgia family caregivers also perform medical or nursing duties for their loved ones, such as: B. complex drug management, wound care and injections. But most of them receive little or no training for these important tasks. That’s why AARP Georgia is calling on the Georgia state legislature to support caregivers with a free, common-sense bill called the Georgia Caregivers Act:
The law requires three main elements:
- Identify: The patient identifies a caregiver upon admission to the hospital
- Notify: The caregiver is notified of the plan to discharge the patient home
- Instruct: The nurse is instructed and trained live in the medical and nursing tasks that need to be done at home.
In 2021, more than half of Georgian hospitals were fined for excessive readmissions of patients. The Georgia Caregiver’s Act could help. In states where the CARE Act is law, nurses and other health and social care professionals say it has helped them connect with family caregivers and reduce unnecessary rehospitalizations.
AARP Georgia will oversee and advocate for other important issues affecting Georgia’s 50+ during the 2022 legislative session. Read on for our Week #1 update and make sure to bookmark this page and check back often!
Week #1 (January 10-14)
The Georgia General Assembly opened the 2022 legislative session on Monday, January 10. Business was short, so policymakers could head to Indianapolis to see the Georgia Bulldogs win the College Football National Championship—good job Bulldogs! Before the adjournment, a resolution was passed to set the first 7 days of the legislative calendar. The governor gave his address to the state and the governor’s recommended budgets for AFY 2022 and FY 2023 were released. For reference, the amended fiscal year 2022 (AFY 2022) runs from January 1 to June 30, 2022 and the fiscal year 2023 (FY 2023) runs from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023.
The Governor’s 2022 AFY Budget includes a recommendation of approximately $2.7 million for the Community Housing Services budget for the Elderly (through the Department of Human Services) to include meals, support services, support for provide family caregivers and preventive health services. This funding is a result of the state compliance requirement as set out in the US federal bailout plan law. This is a great start to the session and AARP is excited to see this initial investment in home and community service funding.
AARP Georgia is also supporting a $1.25 million budget proposal to invest in a statewide dementia care specialist program. This budget request would allow the state to hire a program manager in the aging division and to employ a dementia care specialist trained to address the unique needs of those living with dementia in each of the 12 territorial aging agencies across the state. This expertise will improve care coordination and transitions, which can improve overall quality of life and reduce hospitalizations.
The General Assembly will hold budget hearings next week. AARP Georgia will oversee funding for home and community services and will work to include funding for the dementia specialist in the fiscal year 2023 budget.
STAY INFORMED!
Interested in what AARP is doing at the Georgia Statehouse? Be sure to save this page as the place to find information on AARP Georgia legislative priorities and general updates on the progress of the 2022 legislative session. If you would like to volunteer with AARP Georgia’s advocacy efforts, email us at gaaarp@aarp.org
