ACR 38, as amended, Brown. California Task Force on Family Caregiving.
This measure would establish the California Task Force on Family Caregiving, to meet, if a nonstate organization agrees to provide administrative support to the task force, to examine issues relative to the challenges faced by family caregivers and opportunities to improve caregiver support, review the current network and the services and supports available to caregivers, and make policy recommendations to the Legislature. The task force would be required to submit an interim report to the Legislature no later than January 1, 2017, and a final report no later than July 1, 2018.
Fiscal committee: no.
P2 1WHEREAS, A caregiver can be any relative, spouse, partner,
2friend, or neighbor who has a significant relationship with, and
3who provides a broad range of assistance to, an older person or an
4adult with a chronic or disabling condition; and
5WHEREAS, Almost three-fourths of older people living in a
6typical community who receive personal assistance rely exclusively
7on unpaid caregivers for help; and
8WHEREAS, At present, there is no complete inventory of
9caregiving programs available to Californians performing unpaid
10caregiving services for an aging or disabled family member, friend,
11or neighbor; and
12WHEREAS, An estimated 5.8 million adults in the state provide
13care to adult relatives or friends, which equates to an estimated
143.9 billion hours a year at an estimated value of $47 billion each
15year; and
16WHEREAS, The economic value of caregivers’ unpaid
17contributions is equivalent to 1.25 times the total Medi-Cal
18spending, and 4.1 times the funding allotted to Medi-Cal long-term
19services and supports; and
20WHEREAS, If family caregivers were no longer available, the
21economic cost to California’s health care and long-term services
22and supports systems would increase astronomically; and
23WHEREAS, Family support is a key driver in remaining in
24one’s home and community, but it comes at substantial physical,
P3 1emotional, and financial cost to the caregivers, their families, and
2to society; and
3WHEREAS, Fifty-nine percent of all family caregivers are
4employed full or part time and family caregivers typically spend
520 hours a week caring for a family member who needs help with
6bathing, dressing, and other kinds of personal care, as well as
7household tasks such as shopping and managing finances; and
8WHEREAS, Seventy percent of people with Alzheimer’s disease
9or a related disorder live at home and need assistance with activities
10of daily living; and
11WHEREAS, Testimony and data acquired during an Assembly
12“Faces of Aging” hearing series in 2014, conducted by the
13Assembly Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care, documented
14variations in the way different populations respond to caregiving
15needs and responsibilities, thus informing policymakers of specific
16cultural competencies necessary to meet a diverse population’s
17needs, as well as specific untapped resources and strategies that
18could relieve caregiver stress; and
19WHEREAS, It is critical to family caregivers for there to be a
20state-led effort to compile an inventory of the resources available
21to family caregivers, determine where access barriers in the current
22system exist, and consider the cultural and linguistic factors that
23impact caregivers and care recipients who are from diverse
24populations; and
25WHEREAS, Consistency of access across the counties is critical
26for caregivers and the vulnerable population they serve, so the best
27practices in California and in other states should be identified and
28considered as means to improve caregiving programs; and
29WHEREAS, Technology is a critical tool for family caregivers,
30and the development of an internet Web site or portal that contains
31information about California’s current resources and supports
32available in the state’s family caregivers’ community will help
33family caregivers better navigate current support services; and
34WHEREAS, To successfully address the surging population of
35older adults who have significant needs for long-term services and
36supports, the state must develop methods to both encourage and
37support families to assist their aging loved ones and develop ways
38to recruit and retain a qualified, culturally competent, responsive
39in-home care workforce; now, therefore, be it
P4 1Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
2thereof concurring, That the California Task Force on Family
3Caregiving is hereby established, which shall consist of 12
4members as follows:
5(a) The Speaker of the Assembly and the Senate Committee on
6Rules shall each appoint 6 members of the task force.
7(b) These 12 members shall include some who have
8demonstrated knowledge and expertise in any of the following:
9(1) Family caregiving.
10(2) Geriatric research.
11(3) Alzheimer’s disease research.
12(4) Senior and disability advocacy; and be it further
13Resolved, That the task force shall perform the following duties:
14(a) Meet to examine issues relative to the challenges faced by
15family caregivers and opportunities to improve caregiver support,
16review the current network and the services and supports available
17to caregivers, and make policy recommendations to the Legislature.
18(b) Consult, as necessary, with a broad range of stakeholders,
19including, but not limited to, family caregivers, community-based
20and institutional providers, caregiving researchers and academics,
21caregiver resource centers, and other state entities; and be it further
22Resolved, That the task force is encouraged to partner, whenever
23possible, with the California Commission on Aging in order to
24link the efforts of the Legislature and the administration; and be
25it further
26Resolved, That state funds shall not be used to support task
27force activities, but the task force may solicit and accept private
28funds and in-kind donations from public and private foundations
29to pay expenses incurred in conducting its business, as long as
30that support would not pose any conflict of interest. These expenses
31include, but are not limited to, staff, administrative, meeting, and
32other expenses incurred by task force members in the performance
33of their official duties; and be it further
34Resolved, That the task force shall convene, once members have
35been appointed, if abegin delete non-stateend deletebegin insert nonstateend insert organization agrees to
36provide administrative support to the task force; and be it further
37Resolved, That the task force shall be subject to the
38Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with
39Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of
40the Government Code); and be it further
P5 1Resolved, That the task force shall submit one or more reports
2to the Legislature and to the Governor, including an interim report
3no later than January 1, 2017, and a final report no later than July
41, 2018; and be it further
5Resolved, That the task force is authorized to act until July 31,
62018; and be it further
7Resolved, That members of the task force shall serve without
8compensation, but shall receive reimbursement for travel and other
9necessary expenses actually incurred in the performance of their
10official duties, to the extent that private funds are available; and
11be it further
12Resolved, That members of the task force shall be appointed to
13serve for the duration of the task force; and be it further
14Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
15of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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