Legislature to Vote on Caregiver Support Bill

State Capitol photo by Wendy Osher.

Members of the Hawaii CARE Act Coalition will gather at the state Capitol Tuesday, May 3, as the House and Senate hold separate floor votes on HB 2252.

Lawmakers are expected to pass the Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act, making Hawai‘i the 30th state or territory since 2014 to give caregivers the opportunity to receive instructions when their loved ones are discharged from the hospital.

“This is a significant win for family caregivers that advocates have worked on for three years,” said
AARP Hawaii State Director Barbara Kim Stanton. “The CARE Act Coalition thanks legislators for
listening to the thousands of residents across the state who care for friends and family, and for
taking action to address challenges they face when their loved ones transition from hospital to
home.

“We welcome passage of the CARE Act in Hawaii, and urge Gov. David Ige to quickly
sign the bill into law and give families the support and peace of mind they deserve,” said Stanton.

HB 2252 requires hospitals to establish procedures giving family caregivers the opportunity to:

• be designated on a patient’s medical record,
• be notified in advance of a patient’s transfer or discharge,
• receive instruction—prior to discharge—in medical tasks required when the patient goes home.

The proposed measure would support unpaid caregivers who often provide complex
medical care for which they receive little or no instruction.

An estimated 154,000 caregivers in Hawai‘i provide increasingly complex care services—including
injections, tube feedings and medication management—to older loved ones at home.

Collectively, the state’s caregivers provided unpaid care valued at $2.1 billion in 2013 alone.

Hawaii CARE Act Coalition

• AARP Hawaii
• American Legion
• The Caregiver Foundation
• County of Kauai, Agency on Elderly Affairs
• Disabled American Veterans – Maui Chapter 2
• Faith Action for Community Equity
• Hale Mahaolu
• Hawaii Alliance for Retired Americans
• Hawaii Family Caregiver Coalition
• HGEA
• ILWU Local 142
• Kokua Council
• Korean War Veterans Chapter 282
• Lahaina Hongwanji Mission
• Maui Adult Day Care Centers
• Maui County Office on Aging
• Maui County Veterans Association
• Na Hoaloha
• Na Koa Kahiko Wahine
• Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs
• Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3850