[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8233-8234]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               LIFESPAN RESPITE CARE REAUTHORIZATION ACT

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I am pleased to be joined by my colleague 
from Wisconsin, Senator Baldwin, in introducing the Lifespan Respite 
Care Reauthorization Act of 2017.
  Every day, an estimated 43 million family caregivers attend to loved 
ones who are experiencing chronic, disabling health conditions. While 
many of these individuals care for an older adult, almost one-third of 
caregivers attend to persons under the age of 50. Caregivers help 
individuals remain at home, often delaying the need for nursing home or 
foster care placements. The value of their efforts are tremendous, 
amounting to more than $470 billion in uncompensated care. This task, 
however, can take a toll. Caregivers experience higher mortality rates 
and are more likely to acquire acute and chronic health

[[Page 8234]]

conditions. That is why respite care is so important. It provides 
temporary relief to caregivers from their ongoing responsibilities, 
reducing the toll they experience. Respite care helps keep caregivers 
healthy, keeps families intact, and provides a substantial public 
value.
  Recently, the Senate Aging Committee, which I chair, held a hearing 
on age-friendly communities. Meg Callaway, the project director of the 
Piscataquis Thriving in Place Coalition in Dover-Foxcroft, ME, 
testified that ``the one most critical service is respite.'' We have 
heard this time and time again.
  In 2006, when the Lifespan Respite Care Act was originally enacted, 
the goal was to improve the delivery and quality of respite care 
available to all caregivers. Since that time, 35 States and the 
District of Columbia have received grants to increase the availability 
and quality or respite services.
  Still, with an increasing number of Americans with chronic conditions 
who require some amount of caregiver support on a daily basis, the need 
for respite care continues to increase and outpace available resources.
  The legislation that we are introducing would authorize $15 million 
per year for 5 years, through 2022, to extend the program. Such funding 
would provide competitive grants to States to establish or enhance 
statewide Lifespan Respite systems that maximize existing resources and 
help ensure that quality respite care is available and accessible to 
all family caregivers. This reauthorization also would require grantees 
to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of programs and activities 
funded under such grants.
  Thirty-six aging and disability organizations have endorsed the 
Lifespan Respite Care Reauthorization Act, including the ARCH National 
Respite Network, the Alzheimer's Association, the Michael J. Fox 
Foundation, and the Elizabeth Dole Foundation.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support this important legislation.

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