Mature Voices Minnesota Minnesota Association of Area Agencies on Aging Minnesota HomeCare Association Minnesota Medical Directors Association Minnesota Network of Hospice and Palliative Care Senior Community Services Volunteers of America of Minnesota AARP Minnesota Aging Services of Minnesota Alzheimer's Association Minnesota -North Dakota Amherst H. Wilder Foundation Care Providers of Minnesota DARTS ElderCare Rights Alliance Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota MNLCOA Member Agencies

Welcome & Introductions MNLCOA Overview Supporting Caregivers in Minnesota o Variety Stakeholder - Broad Perspectives  Public Sector - Funding and Needs  Caregivers – Personal Stories and Issues  Leaders in Service - What’s Possible Break o Value of Informal System of Caregiving  Research on Effectiveness of Caregiver Support o Reactor Panel  Legislative Leaders  Businesses and Employers  Caregivers  Participation Survey 2010 Summit Agenda

Jean Wood, Director, Aging & Adult Services, Department of Human Services and Executive Director, MN Board On Aging Defining the Challenge: Need for Caregivers and Their Relationship to Formal Services

David Foster, Spousal Caregiver Caregiver Perspective

Dr. Ed Ratner, Moderator Dawn Simonson, Overview of MN Initiatives Krista O’connor, Eldercare Partners Susan Bulger, Evercare Caregiver Solutions What’s New in the Caregiving World?? Recent Changes and Trends in Caregiving and Caregiver Support

Caregiver Perspective Warren Wolfe, Parental Caregiver

Research on Effectiveness of Caregiver Support Joe Gaugler, Associate Professor/ McKnight Presidential Fellow at University of Minnesota

Presentation of Recommendations of Potential Changes to Public Policy on Family Caregiving and Caregiver Support Jeri Schoonover, Lutheran Social Services-MN

To protect and ensure current levels of funding for programs and services that support informal caregivers in their efforts to assist family, friends and neighbors to remain in their homes. Policy Objective:

Recommended Actions: Maintain current funding through the biennium. Assure continued state investment of match funds for caregiver services to assure continuing receipt of federal medical assistance funds.

Invest in an expanded, “statewide” caregiver support system to assure a full range of “core services” that are effective and sensitive to the diversity of caregivers to reflect the change in demographics. Policy Objective :

Recommended Actions: Encourage Minnesota State Agencies to work together in a planful way to develop a system that supports a diverse group of caregivers. Advocate for continued support of programs that support caregivers. Invest new funds to establish a Statewide Caregiver Coalition to develop new partnerships at the local and State levels with the purpose of presenting a coordinated approach to awareness building/ outreach, advocacy and service system development.

Recommended Actions:  Expand publicly funded service options to promote flexibility and consumer choice in service selection. Increase awareness and promote the use of services that support self-directed care, i.e. Fiscal Support Entities, Support Planners. Address administrative inefficiencies/barriers at the State level to increase flexibility for service providers which will enable caregivers increased access to services.

Recommended Actions: Promote “Communities for a Lifetime” which offers seniors home and community supports for aging in place, emphasizing the availabilities of the right services at the right time. These services would include caregiver support, encompassing adult day programs, evening and weekend respite options.

Promote caregiver friendly work environments in Minnesota in both the public and private sector (relates to the business community). Policy Objective:

Recommended Actions: Expand the approved use of existing sick leave benefits to include caregiving for adult son or daughter, spouse, sibling, parent, grand-parent, and stepparents both by passing legislation and encouraging employers to adopt these policies. Provide incentives to encourage adoption of flexible workplace policies to support family caregiving. Work with business community to share tools/information/best practices and policies.

Promote innovative service options and use of technology to maximize services which assist caregivers as they support older adults aging in their homes. Policy Objective:

Recommended Actions: Create incentives that support innovation and flexibility in the delivery of long-term care, to promote consumer choice, deliver better outcomes, and reduce cost. Create a technology inventory for caregivers including technologies used in the disability community to identify those with greatest impact/success. Maintain and promote funding within the public programs for the use/purchase of technology.

Reactor Panel to Potential Changes to Public Policy Warren Wolfe, Moderator Representative Diane Loeffler Representative Matt Dean David Foster, Caregiver Bill Blazer, MN Chamber Of Commerce

1. Please fill out the participant survey and leave it with us before you leave 2. Go to and fill out the survey on-linewww.Mnlcoa.Org What is YOUR Response?? We want your feedback….

Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging THANK YOU Summit Sponsors Amherst H. Wilder Foundation Minnesota Area Gerontalogical Educational Center (MAGEC) MN Leadership Council on Aging

Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging Speakers And Panelists Jean Wood, DHS David Foster, Caregiver Dawn Simonson, MAAA Krista O’connor, Eldercare Partners Susan Bulger, Evercare Caregiver Solutions Warren Wolfe, Star Tribune Joe Gaugler, Univ. Of Minnesota Rep. Diane Loeffler Rep. Matt Dean Bill Blazer, Chamber Of Commerce

Thank You For Joining Us Today Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging MN Leadership Council on Aging