Arizona

ARIZONA’S SUPPORT NETWORK

• Family Caregiver Support Program

Offers: Adult day, in-home, overnight, and weekend/camp respite options for an average of eight hours per week, and not more than three days for emergency services; other services include information, education and assistance, care management, counseling and support groups, assistive technology, supplies, home modification/repair; and transportation.

Funded by: National Family Caregiver Support Program under Older Americans Act Title III E; administered by the Arizona Department of Economic Security/Aging and Adult Administration, locally by area agencies on aging and the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona Inc. (ITCA) for the 19 in the state.

Eligibility: No minimum age for caregivers; care recipients must be age 60 and older and unable to perform two activities of daily living or instrumental activities of daily living and/or have a diagnosis of dementia or related disorder and/or require supervision.

• Arizona Long-Term Care System

Offers: Adult day, in-home, and overnight respite options, capped at 720 hours per year; other services include assistive technologies, care management, supplies, counseling, home modification/repairs, information and assistance, and transportation services.

Funded by: Medicaid home and community based services waiver; administered by the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state’s Medicaid program, and locally through contracts with health plans and other contractors.

Eligibility: Caregivers must be age 18 or older; care recipients must meet a nursing home level of care.

• Non-Medical Home and Community-Based Services

Offers: Adult day, in-home, and overnight respite options; other services include assistive technologies, care management, supplies, counseling, home modification/repairs, information and assistance, transportation, education and training, family consultation, and support group services.

Funded by: Older Americans Act, state general funds and Title XX funds; administered by the Arizona Department of Economic Security/Aging and Adult Administration and locally by area agencies on aging.

Eligibility: No minimum age for caregivers; care recipients must be age 60 or older and impaired in two activities of daily living or two instrumental activities of daily living.

• Grandparent and Other Relative Caregiver Support Programs

Offers: Respite care and other support services designed to address the needs of grandparent and other relative caregivers of children. See www.gu.org/factsheets.asp for details on Arizona programs.

Funded by: Older Americans Act Title III E, state general revenues, and other sources. The Family Caregiver Support Program is administered by the Arizona Department of Economic Security and locally by area agencies on aging.

Eligibility: Grandparent and other relative caregivers must be a minimum of age 60 and caring for a child age 18 or younger to receive services in the Family Caregiver Support Program.

CONSUMER DIRECTION

Consumer direction is a philosophy that accommodates people’s needs and preferences by offering them maximum choice and control over services they use. In Arizona, two programs offer some level of consumer direction.

• The Family Caregiver Support Program offers vouchers for respite services, and family members have a choice of service providers where available.
• Arizona Long-Term Care System permits family members to be paid to provide respite and personal care services.

LEGISLATION

No recent caregiver legislation.

Sources: National Association of State Units on Aging, e-mail survey of State Family Caregiver Support Program contacts, Washington, D.C., June 2005; National Center on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren at Georgia State University, Research—Fact Sheets, Atlanta, Ga., 2005; Feinberg, Lynn Friss, et al., The State of the States in Family Caregiver Support: A 50-State Study, Washington, D.C.: Family Caregiver Alliance, National Center on Caregiving, 2004; Generations United, National Center on Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children, State Fact Sheets, Washington, D.C., October 2003; National Family Caregivers Association, Prevalence and Economic Value of Family Caregiving: State-by- State Analysis, Kensington, Md., 2000; U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000.

Contact

Chris Andrews
Department of Economic Security
Aging and Adult Administration
1789 West Jefferson, 950A
Phoenix, Ariz. 85007
(602) 542-4446
candrews@azdes.gov 
www.de.state.az.us/aaa/default.asp