INDIANAPOLIS - Increasing numbers of Hoosiers are assuming the role of caring for aging loved ones, which can add emotional, physical and financial stress to their lives. Addressing the issue in the state legislature, SCR17, written by Senator Vaneta Becker, urges the legislative council to study the issue of family care-giving. According to Becker, in the next 20 years, there will be more than 290,000 people in Indiana 85 years or older who will need caregiving assistance.

"Because we know that we're addressing an increasingly older population of adults who have a significant need for long-term services and support, we need to look at developing more innovative methods to encourage and support families assisting their aging relatives," Becker declared.

The resolution also would look at new ways to recruit and retain qualified responsive in-home care workers. In 2011, there were 1.34 million Hoosiers providing unpaid care for loved ones, spending on average more than $5000 a year out of pocket.

Ambre Marr, state legislative director for AARP Indiana, said an overwhelming majority of AARP members want to age in their homes and communities as long as possible. She said in-home care costs are much cheaper than nursing home care, saving the state Medicaid dollars.

"This is going to help the state budget by keeping older Hoosiers out of institutional care," she stated. "So there are several reasons why caregiving is so important, not only because people want to remain in their homes, but also because if we can keep them in their homes longer, we can also keep them out of institutional care."

Marr said the average caregiver is a 49-year-old woman who works outside the home and spends nearly 20 hours per week providing unpaid care to her mother for nearly five years. She said family helping family should be encouraged, but caregivers need more assistance.

"The time is now to address this surging population of older adults who have significant needs for these services, and Indiana is definitely capable of developing methods to both encourage and support these families, and we want to do everything we can to make them know that that's what we're doing."

SCR17 has passed both the House and Senate, and is waiting to be assigned to a study committee.





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Oregon is working to address the state's digital divide with hundreds of millions of dollars in funding.

Infrastructure presents the largest challenges for connecting people in Oregon to high-speed broadband internet.

Nick Batz, director of the Oregon Broadband Office, said there are more than 170,000 residencies in the state with no or slow internet access.

"Our goal through the broadband office and with all our stakeholders throughout Oregon is to provide access to all 112,000 unserved locations and as many of the 60,000 underserved locations as we can," Batz explained.

The state has received federal funding from a variety of sources, including nearly $690 million from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, and more than $150 million from the Capital Projects Fund approved in the American Rescue Plan Act from 2021.

Oregon's Digital Equity Plan has also been approved and along with it, nearly $10 million in funding.

Bandana Shrestha, state director of AARP Oregon, said there was a time when high-speed broadband internet was considered a luxury.

"Now, it's such a big necessity for everyone, including for older adults," Shrestha pointed out. "Because we know that if you don't have connectivity, you're not going to be able to see your doctor when you want to. Telemedicine is not going to be possible."

Batz added his office is working to ensure every Oregonian can get on the internet.

"It is an interesting challenge," Batz observed. "Nothing has been done like this in Oregon's history of trying to get internet access to everybody. So, it's going to be quite the challenge and it's absolutely going to require participation from everybody to make this happen."

Nursing homes across South Dakota will soon receive a boost in support, as part of the most recent legislative session.

Facilities caring for Medicaid recipients are reimbursed by the state for some of the cost. Reimbursement rates have been calculated based on patient needs, occupancy and funds available in the state budget. Last year, the South Dakota Legislature increased the rate from about 75% to 100%.

House Bill 1167 now allows the Medicaid reimbursement rate to be adjusted annually, to keep up with inflation and other changes.

Erik Nelson, advocacy director for AARP South Dakota, is glad lawmakers are giving nursing homes attention.

"We have seen a number of nursing homes close in recent years," Nelson pointed out. "Financial considerations were a factor in that, along with workforce and some other issues."

Since 2019, 15 nursing homes have closed across the state, with six of the remaining 98 on a federal list of facilities not meeting basic standards of care. In addition to a lack of funding, the average staff turnover rate is 54%.

State lawmakers also approved the use of $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding toward expanding telehealth services in facilities including nursing homes, allowing patients to receive some health care services remotely.

Nelson noted telehealth is one way to supply needed support.

"For not only the residents, but the family caregivers that are supporting their loved ones in the nursing homes," Nelson emphasized. "And of course, the staff of the nursing home that's in the community."

Census data show South Dakota's population is aging and by 2030, one-fifth of residents will be older than 65.

Meals on Wheels programs could be a powerful tool for addressing the needs of people living with dementia, according to a study from Ohio State University researchers.

The community-based program delivers weekly meals to food-insecure seniors.

Lisa Juckett, assistant professor of occupational therapy at Ohio State University, conducted interviews with caregivers, people living with dementia, and the staff of LifeCare Alliance, the largest Meals on Wheels provider in the state. She said the findings revealed delivery drivers are often a critical source of social interaction and an "extra set of eyes" on homebound individuals.

"That Meals on Wheels driver is then able to perform very brief but important wellness checks and safety checks," Juckett explained. "To make sure that meal is actually being delivered, the door is being answered."

According to Meals on Wheels America, last year more than 90,000 Ohio seniors received over eight million home-delivered meals through the program. More than 80% of people with dementia in the U.S. live at home, and an estimated 60% are unable to eat or prepare food on their own.

States rely on a combination of federal funding, private donations and fundraising agencies to keep local Meals on Wheels programs operating. Juckett added the findings come on the heels of Congress deciding to cut funding for the Older Americans Act, which allocates money to Meals on Wheels programs nationwide.

"Meals on Wheels programs are always on the chopping block, when it comes to federal budgets being adjusted every year," Juckett pointed out. "We need more advocacy efforts to validate or justify the importance of these programs."

According to the group Alzheimer's disease International, more than 55 million people around the world live with dementia, a number expected to double over the next two decades.