HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 3

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

INTRODUCED BY

Tomás E. Salazar and Michael Padilla

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THAT THE SECRETARY OF AGING AND LONG-TERM SERVICES APPOINT A COALITION OF INTERESTED PARTIES TO STUDY THE ROLE OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS, IDENTIFY POLICIES AND RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO FAMILY CAREGIVERS AND IDENTIFY POLICIES AND PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT FAMILY CAREGIVERS.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     WHEREAS, the population of New Mexico 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 adults living in the community who received personal assistance relied 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 New Mexico 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 be requested to establish a family caregiver coalition to identify policies, resources and programs available for family caregivers and encourage additional innovative and creative means to support family caregivers to continue to provide needed in-home support for older adults; receive testimony on the needs of family caregivers, including designation of caregivers, training, respite services, medical leave policies, delegation to nonmedical aides and other policies; and compile an inventory of the resources available to caregivers throughout the state; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the coalition 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; and

          F. 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 coalition to the legislative health and human services committee no later than November 1, 2014; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to each official and organization being requested to serve on the coalition and to the chair and vice chair of the legislative health and human services committee.

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