Resident appreciates support of caregiver bill

To the editor:

On behalf of 1.3 million unpaid family caregivers in Indiana, a big thank you goes to Rep. Bob Heaton, Rep. Jim Baird and Rep. Alan Morrison for voting yes on the Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable Act, also know has the CARE Act, House Bill 1265.

In my volunteer work with AARP, I've come to learn that Indiana ranks last when it comes to supporting unpaid family caregivers. These caregivers are the backbone of our long-term care system, and need and deserve better support.

The CARE Act is a huge step in the right direction to better supporting our family caregivers. These caregivers work tirelessly to enable a loved one to be able to live independently in their own homes.

House Bill 1265 acknowledges the critical role caregivers play in making it possible to keep our loved ones in their own homes and will minimize the number of return trips to the hospital by improving coordination and communication between caregivers, their loved ones and hospitals.

The bill was passed by the Indiana House of Representatives with overwhelmingly bipartisan support. We are hopeful that this signals to the Indiana Senate how important this bill is.

Evelyn Brown

Clay County