HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 4

51st legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2014

INTRODUCED BY

Tomás E. Salazar

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THAT THE AGING AND LONG-TERM SERVICES DEPARTMENT CONVENE A NEW MEXICO FAMILY CAREGIVER TASK FORCE TO CREATE A STATE PLAN FOR ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES FACED BY FAMILY CAREGIVERS.

     WHEREAS, the population of the state that is eighty-five years of age or older and most likely to need caregiving assistance is projected to reach seventy-five thousand six hundred in 2030; and

     WHEREAS, almost all older adults who need assistance with activities of daily living want to remain in their homes and communities; and

     WHEREAS, providing services and supports to older adults in their homes and communities is generally much less expensive than nursing home care; and

     WHEREAS, older adults who receive services from caregivers in their homes are much less likely to need public assistance; and

     WHEREAS, almost three-fourths of older people living in the community who receive personal assistance rely exclusively on unpaid caregivers for help; and

     WHEREAS, eighty percent of care is provided in the community by unpaid caregivers, usually family members; and

     WHEREAS, an estimated four hundred nineteen thousand adults in the state provide care to adult relatives or friends each year, which equates to an estimated two hundred seventy-four million hours a year and an estimated value of three billion one hundred million dollars ($3,100,000,000) each year; and

     WHEREAS, nationally, seventy percent of people with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia live at home and need assistance with activities of daily living; and

     WHEREAS, the New Mexico state plan for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias recommended supporting and empowering unpaid caregivers by providing access to culturally competent support services and expanding evidence-based caregiver training; and

     WHEREAS, to successfully address the surging population of older adults who have significant needs for long-term services and supports, the state must develop methods to both encourage and support families to assist their aging relatives and develop ways to recruit and retain a qualified, responsive in-home care work force;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the secretary of aging and long-term services convene a New Mexico family caregiver task force to identify resources and programs available for family caregivers; receive testimony on the needs of family caregivers, including designation of caregivers, training, respite services, medical leave policies, delegation of tasks to nonmedical aides and other policies; compile an inventory of the resources available to family caregivers; make policy recommendations regarding family caregivers in the state; and develop a New Mexico state plan for family caregivers; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force include the following members:

          A. the secretary of health or the secretary's designee;

          B. the secretary of veterans' services or the secretary's designee;

          C. the secretary of human services or the secretary's designee;

          D. the secretary of Indian affairs or the secretary's designee;

          E. one representative of the Alzheimer's association, appointed by the Alzheimer's association;

          F. one representative from each of the four area agencies on aging, appointed by the bureau chief of the senior services bureau of the aging and long-term services department;

          G. one representative of AARP, appointed by AARP;

          H. one family caregiver, appointed by the governor;

          I. one representative of the adult daycare services industry, appointed by the New Mexico association of adult daycare;

          J. one representative of the department of health's office of rural primary health care, appointed by the director of the office of rural primary health care;

          K. one representative of the developmental disabilities planning council, appointed by the developmental disabilities planning council;

          L. one representative of the case management industry, appointed by the secretary of aging and long-term services;

          M. one representative of the home care and hospice industry, appointed by the New Mexico association of home and hospice care;

          N. one representative of the senior companion programs, appointed by the bureau chief of the senior services bureau of the aging and long-term services department;

          O. one representative of the community health workers association, appointed by the department of health;

          P. one representative of the governor's commission on disability, appointed by the governor;

          Q. the director of the medical assistance division of the human services department or the director's designee;

          R. one representative of the medical care provider community, appointed by the director of the university of New Mexico division of geriatrics and palliative medicine; and

          S. representatives of other associations or organizations that represent caregivers, families, service providers or advocacy groups as deemed appropriate by the secretary of aging and long-term services; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the aging and long-term services department report on the work of the task force to the legislative health and human services committee no later than November 1, 2015; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of aging and long-term services and other officials and organizations being requested to serve on the task force.

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