Langevin Applauds Passage of Respite Care

After more than four years of tireless work, Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) this week celebrated the passage of the Lifespan Respite Care Act. The act will establish a program to assist family caregivers in accessing affordable and high-quality respite care and create a National Resource Center on Lifespan Respite Care. The companion to this legislation also passed the Senate last week.

Respite care, which provides temporary relief for caregivers from the ongoing responsibility of caring for an individual with special needs, is the most frequently reported unmet need of family caregivers. The legislation has been endorsed by over 100 national and local organizations, including the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Alzheimer's Association, and the ALS Association.

“This legislation will ease the burden on family caregivers, who give so much,” said Langevin, who was the measure’s lead Democratic sponsor. “This bill will allow us to take a proactive step toward providing quality at-home care for millions of Americans with special needs, by preventing caregiver burnout and protecting against the unsafe or inappropriate care that can result from the unmet need of respite care.”

Estimates show that each year, 29 million Americans care for an adult family member who is chronically ill or disabled. In addition, an estimated 18 million children have chronic physical, developmental, behavioral or emotional conditions that place significant demands on their parental caregivers. Nearly four million Americans of all ages who have mental retardation or another developmental disability live with their families. Studies show that if services provided by family caregivers were replaced by paid services the cost would be more than $300 billion annually.

“Caregivers need to know they are not alone, and they need to know where to turn when their daily responsibilities become too much for them to bear,” continued Langevin.

The bill’s funds would build upon and develop lifespan respite care at the state and local levels, provide services for family members caring for children or adults, train and recruit respite care workers and volunteers and assist caregivers in gaining access to services. There will also be discretionary funding earmarked for caregiver training and education.

The resource center will maintain a national respite care database and provide training and technical assistance to state, community and non-profit respite care programs.

Langevin first authored and introduced this bill in both the 107th and 108th Congresses, working with the National Respite Coalition. In the spirit of bipartisanship and in effort to ensure passage, Langevin agreed to let Congressman Mike Ferguson (R-NJ) reintroduce this legislation in the 109th Congress, while Langevin remained the chief Democratic co-sponsor.

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