Rodakowski, Juleen

Background: The Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act encourages inclusion of family caregivers in the hospitalization process for patients. Translating the state laws into meaningful changes within the health care delivery system can be challenging and requires time. This study sought to examine early compliance with and implementation of the CARE Act reported by hospitals in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.; Methods: We sent an online survey to hospital executives in Pennsylvania in 2017.

A systematic review was conducted to characterize assessments for caregivers of hospitalized older adults. Electronic literature searches of Medline, PsycINFO, and CINAHL of articles on caregiver assessments published in English between 2006 and present were completed. Thirty-three articles underwent full-text review; four included assessments designed to capture caregiver needs in hospital settings. Original articles on the development of these assessments were reviewed for quality appraisal. Four findings emerged from our review.

Background and Objectives: Older adults face significant long-term care and health care costs. But some of these costs can potentially be offset through family caregivers who may serve as substitutes for formal care or directly improve the care recipient’s health and reduce health care utilization and expenditures.

Background: Despite the role caregivers play in the delivery of care, the interactions and training methods used with caregivers during an inpatient stay are not clear.; Purpose: The purpose was to examine interactions and training methods used with caregivers during hospital care.; Methods: A mixed-methods case study was conducted.

Objectives: To determine the effect of integrating informal caregivers into discharge planning on postdischarge cost and resource use in older adults.; Design: A systematic review and metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials that examine the effect of discharge planning with caregiver integration begun before discharge on healthcare cost and resource use outcomes.

Background: Although family caregivers provide a significant portion of health and support services to adults with serious illness, they are often marginalized by existing healthcare systems and procedures. Objective: We examine the role of caregivers in existing systems of care, identify needed changes in structures and processes, and describe how these changes might be monitored and assessed and who should be accountable for implementing them.