By John Paul Marosy, President
Bringing Elder Care Home LLC
jpmarosy@charter.net
(508) 854-0431

"If you're in a coalition and you're comfortable, you know it's not a broad enough coalition"

Bernice Johnson Reagon, American historian and musician

The movement to improve the quality of life of family caregivers in America is spawning the development of local coalitions, many of which include representatives of business and government employers.

EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT Empower employed family care-givers to find their balance and remain productive. Attend our next train-the-trainer session and learn to present the seminar "Elder Care and Work: Finding the Balance." Date: Friday, October 29, 2004. Time: 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM Place: Hogan Center at College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA. Your Investment: $225 (The $195 early bird discount rate has been extended to October 15. ). Fee includes Leader's Guide, PowerPoint presentation, Workbook, and free e-coaching follow-up. Limited to 24 persons. For registration information, email John Paul today at jpmarosy@bringingeldercarehome.com

Coalition building is nothing new in this country. In fact, the coming-together or diverse groups for a common purpose is one of the hallmarks of our democratic process.

What is new is the focus on family caregiving. Thanks to the pioneering work of such groups as the National Alliance for Caregiving, the Family Caregiving Alliance, and the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA), we have seen a marked increase in the visibility of caregiving issues in the media and in the halls of Congress and the State Houses around the U.S.

Increased media attention helped other large social issues emerge in the past and sparked the attention of our nation's leaders. Consider the movements for civil rights, women's rights, and environmental concerns.

We have not yet seen a galvanizing national event for family caregivers comparable to the civil rights march on Washington or a massive grass-roots involvement event like Earth Day. We do have National Family Caregivers Month each November and this has given focus to public education efforts.

It's interesting to note that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, a large government agency not known for its innovative engagement on social issues, has designated personnel resources to in every CMS region to engage with and support family caregiving and other partnerships. CMS recently hosted a nation-wide conference call to explore the further development of coalitions and partnerships. Contact Spencer Schron at sschron@cms.hhs.gov.

The real action seems to be emerging in the states and cities where a variety of different coalition approaches are taking hold. The question is: What sustainable change can these coalitions achieve? Consider three very different approaches in three cities:

• In the Chicago area, a group that includes Area Agencies on Aging and representatives of large and small employers held a forum last year to uncover the barriers that exist to better supporting family caregivers in the work place. Funded by a grant from AT&T's Family Care Development Fund (a joint project of AT&T, the Communications Workers of America, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) to the National Council on the Aging, the group identified timely access to information on elder care resources as a top priority need. Follow-up action has included organizing informational fairs at locations that are easily accessible to many employers. Contact: Jonathan Lavin at Suburban Area Agency on Aging at www.suburban-age.org
  
  
• In Philadelphia, public television station WHYY has worked with a diverse group of organizations to host community forums on caregiving issues and to air programs that educate and involve the community in addressing family caregiving concerns. Contact Willo Carey wcarey@whyy.org or Brian Duke brianmduke@aol.com
  
  
• In Boston, the Family Caregiving Coalition of New England has held two Town Hall Meetings involving leaders from government and business, as well as family caregivers themselves. WGBH public television broadcast the Coaliton's latest meeting (held in collaboration with the And Thou Shalt Honor campaign, www.thoushalthonor.org) and has helped generate public involvement in the Coalition's work. This New England coalition's mission is to "link individuals and organizations to empower all family caregivers and to create a society where caregiving is fully valued as a fundamental part of life." Plans call for an annual conference, formation of working committees that include service providers and employers, and focusing on one or two public policy issues for passage of legislation. Contact Kara Macaluso kara.macaluso@mam.nmss.org

We're eager to hear your views on this topic and we will share responses in our next edition of "Elder Care/Work Balance."©

A Special Invitation:

Empower employed family care-givers to find their balance and remain productive. Please see the Event Announcement (above).

John Paul Marosy
Editor and President,
Bringing Elder Care Home, LLC

John Paul Marosy is the author of Elder Care: A Six Step Guide to Balancing Work and Family, available from Bringing Elder Care Home Publishing online at www.bringingeldercarehome.com or by calling 508-854-0431. Visit www.bringingeldercarehome.com or call or email today to learn how your organization can offer this effective resource: (508) 854-0431 or jpmarosy@bringingeldercarehome.com

This newsletter may be reprinted in whole or in part so long as the author, John Paul Marosy, is credited and the Web site address, www.bringingeldercarehome.com, is provided.