National Family Caregiver Support Program
The enactment of the Older Americans Act Amendments of 2000 (Public Law 106-501) established an important new program, the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP). The program was developed by the Administration on Aging (AoA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It was modeled in large part after successful LTC programs in states such as California, New Jersey, and Wisconsin and after listening to the needs expressed by hundreds of family caregivers in discussions held across the country.
This program calls for all states, working in partnership with area agencies on aging and local community-service providers to have five basic services for family caregivers, including:
• Information about resources that will help family caregivers;
• Assistance to families in locating services from private and voluntary agencies;
• Caregiver training, peer support and counseling to help families cope with the emotional and physical stress of dealing with a family member’s chronic condition;
• Respite care provided in a home, an adult day-care center or over a weekend in a nursing home or an assisted living facility;
• Supplemental services, on a limited basis, to complement the care provided by caregivers.
For additional information, contact Scott Randolph.
