July 30, 2015

Arkansas Lay Caregiver Act and Free Workshop

On July 22, 2015, the Arkansas Lay Caregiver Act took effect in our state after being signed into law by Governor Hutchison. Recently, as many as 13 states have enacted a similar law that will ease the transition for hospital patients upon discharge to their home or other facility.   This law passed unanimously in Arkansas and will allow residents to designate a caregiver after a hospital admission if they so choose.

The intention of this law is to protect the patient’s health, reduce costly re-admissions to the hospital and encourage hospitals to consult with family members or other designated caregivers on how to care for the patient when they return to the home.

A study by AARP released in 2012 stated “nearly half of family caregivers said they administered multiple medications, cared for wounds, prepared food for special diets, used monitors or operated specialized medical equipment. Despite frequent emergency department visits and overnight hospital stays, few of the respondents reported receiving any assistance or training from health professionals.”

With as many as 42 million Americans caring for a loved one in the home, most are doing so without any sort of formal training or knowledge to provide adequate care.   If you are providing unpaid care for an elderly loved one at home and/or anticipate they may be hospitalized in the near future, there is help.

The UAMS Schmieding Home Caregiver Training program in Jonesboro is hosting a free Family Caregiving Skills Workshop on August 10 and 11 from noon to 4 p.m. “Basic caregiver skills will be demonstrated and taught to participants in the areas of bathing, skin care, transferring, wheelchair safety, home & bathroom safety, and mobility,” says coordinator Linda Willey, R.N., C.D.P. Space is limited. Call 870-207-7600 to register. Participation is encouraged for both days but not required.

The Schmieding Home Caregiver Training Program is located at 2813 Forest Home Road in Jonesboro. A project of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, The Donald W Reynolds Institute on Aging, the program is funded through a grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. For more information about the Schmieding Home Caregiver Training, visit UAMScaregiving.org/jonesboro.