Paying Family Caregivers: A call to action from TJC and TDC (11:00 AM)

Many of our loved ones need caregiver assistance in order to remain at home in the community. This includes people of all ages with many different types of disabilities and care needs. As many families know, there is a dire shortage of professional caregivers in both home and institutional settings, made worse by the pandemic. This means caregiving needs fall back on family members more and more. Sometimes family members must give up their jobs at great cost to the family. TennCare is the major source of payment for professional caregivers in our state, but it provides only very limited support for family caregivers. In fact, AARP has ranked Tennesse's support for family caregivers at 51 out of 51. We are the worst state in the nation when it comes to supporting family caregivers. With your help, Tennessee Disability Coalition and Tennessee Justice Center are pushing to change this. A new campaign, supported…