Tenn. grant offers "lifeline" for family caregivers — but it's starting small
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One Tennessee voter's conversation with a lawmaker led to a new program supporting families facing Alzheimer's disease or dementia.
Why it matters: As Tennessee's population continues to age, more and more people are taking on caregiving work for their elderly family members. Often they're also juggling jobs and child care.
- It can be grueling, and state officials say government support will be necessary to meet this growing challenge.
By the numbers: The Alzheimer’s Association estimates 129,000 people age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's in Tennessee.
- About 393,000 people in Tennessee take care of a relative with dementia, the association says. Their work accounts for 686 million hours of unpaid care valued at $13.1 billion.
Zoom in: The Caring for Caregivers Act, which passed with bipartisan support and went into effect this summer, is one example of how lawmakers could address the issue, although it is starting very small.
How it works: The law establishes a pilot program giving financial assistance to a handful of Tennessee families.
- Family caregivers could receive up to $6,000. The money could be used to buy medical supplies or hire help.
- Lauren LeGate, assistant commissioner with Tennessee’s Department of Disability and Aging, tells Axios that kind of "respite care" can be a “lifeline” for physically and mentally exhausted caregivers.
Reality check: The total grant pool is $200,000, so the program will only be able to help a fraction of eligible families. (The original bill proposed a larger pilot with $600,000.)
What she's saying: “I don’t have a doubt that it’ll be gone very quickly,” the law's sponsor, state Rep. Renea Jones (R-Unicoi) tells Axios.
- “We have to take baby steps.”
If you're interested: The Greater Nashville Regional Council is administering the grant in Middle Tennessee. It expects to serve only two or three families in the region during the pilot phase.
- You can call the council's Aging and Disability Helpline at 615-255-1010 to learn more and join an interest list.
Between the lines: Jones says the pilot will help gauge demand for this kind of help. She encourages people to reach out to log their interest in the grant, even if they might not get it.
- “They need to be counted,” she says.
- Jones says documenting the unmet demand could help her expand the program in the future.
Flashback: Jones said her legislation grew out of a constituent’s experience watching his grandmother care for his grandfather with Alzheimer’s.
- As his grandmother took on more responsibilities, he said, he watched her health diminish and her life narrow. She stopped seeing friends and lost some of her own identity, Jones says.
The big picture: That experience is becoming more common as baby boomers become seniors. Jones says many of her peers in the General Assembly shared their own experiences with caregiving.