Policy Public < Back to main

The California Caregiver Resource Centers (CRCs) help working families to care for disabled loved ones at home while continuing to work outside the home. The CRC system helps prevent and delay placement of people with brain impairments in long term care institutions. The California Caregiver Resource Centers’ budget was cut by 72% in 2009-10, seriously impacting support services for caregiving families.

11 CRC’s serve all 58 counties in California within regional districts. Realignment proposals splitting funding into counties would fragment services and reduce funds for all caregiver programs.

CRC support services help caregivers maintain their jobs and health benefits. About half of California’s family caregivers are employed outside the home. Nearly one-quarter of working caregivers quit their jobs or reduce their work hours to provide care when they do not have adequate support and respite assistance (CRC Uniform Data Base, 2004-2005). Maintaining caregiver capacity to contribute in the workplace strengthens families and produces tax revenue for the State.

Decreased State funding severely inhibits CRC capacity to secure local and federal dollars to support caregiver needs. The CRCs rely on State funding to maintain a state-wide system, and could not exist without it. State funding for CRCs helps enable the leveraging of $2.76 million from the National Family Caregiver Support Program (federal funds). Realignment proposals could reduce or eliminate matching funds for federal caregiver programs.

One in four California families is struggling with the demands of caregiving. Eleven community-based nonprofit Caregiver Resource Centers annually serve more than 15,000 families caring for adults affected by brain impairments including: Alzheimer’s, multi-infarct disease, or other dementias; stroke; Parkinson’s; brain injury due to trauma or infection; brain tumor and other conditions. The CRCs support families throughout California with a comprehensive package of services including family consultation, education, counseling, support groups and respite assistance.

Funding cuts to CRCs has resulted in reductions in services for over 15,000 caregiving families of persons with brain impairments. These caregivers rely on assistance for respite care, counseling, education, and support services. A majority of CRC family caregivers have no other source for these services or are not eligible for other services. Due to these cuts, caregivers are finding it increasingly difficult to access support services. Due to cuts in funding, an estimated 75% fewer new caregivers entering our programs (about 11,250 families) will not be able to benefit from depression screening, care planning, consultation, counseling, and educational services from the CRC’s in 2011-2012.

Due to these cuts in CRC services, 38% of caregivers may institutionalize their family member.

CRC support services help families avoid or delay nursing home placement. Family caregivers served by the CRCs provide care at home for an estimated 9,000 adults at-risk for nursing home placement due to the severity of disabilities. Studies show that programs like the CRC delay institutionalization of care recipients by 1.5 years by providing caregivers with appropriate assistance and support (Mittleman, et al, 2006). In California, Medi-Cal pays 63% of all resident days of care at an average cost of $55,000 per year per resident. (Harringon C, et al. UCSF, 2008). The additional 18 months of care at home saves the Medi-Cal system approximately $82,500 per care recipient.

If half of these care-receivers are placed due to lack of caregiver support services, it would cost California’s health care system over $371 million in one year (COSHPD, 2003; MetLife, 2006).

If you have any questions please contact Vicki Farrell (530) 872-2609 or Erin Levi (916) 441-5333