Groups advocating for the elderly are organizing an effort to lobby Michigan lawmakers for new protections for caregivers.
“We’re going to be pushing hard in 2015 for something called the CARE Act,” said Mark Hornbeck with AARP Michigan. “That will help people have some rights when they’re taking care of elder parents or an older aunt and uncle or even an older friend.”
The proposed legislation would require health care workers to notify caregivers when a patient is admitted, transferred, or discharged from a hospital. It would also require them to give clear instructions on how to care for the patient when they come home from the hospital.
“A lot or caregivers out there are working full time and trying to take care of elder parents at the same time. And it’s just overwhelming,” said Hornbeck.
AARP has been lobbying state Legislatures across the country to pass versions of the CARE Act. Oklahoma has already adopted the law.
In-home care workers in Michigan used to be automatically represented by a union, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). In 2012, Governor Rick Snyder signed a law ending automatic union membership for caregivers.
Thousands have since left the SEIU.
