• Financing Strategies Matrix: Strategies to sustain respite care and caregiver supports for respite programs, state coalitions, and provider agencies
• State Summaries of Lifespan Respite Grant Activities and Outcomes: Detailed information on the Lifespan Respite Care Program grantees, their activities, and accomplishments
• Learning Collaborative Webinars and Materials: Information and resources from five topical collaboratives, including sustainability planning

Former Administration for Community Living director Alison Barkoff discusses how disability and aging advocacy communities have strengthened collaboration, particularly around home and community-based services. She notes that over 50% of people 65+ have disabilities and highlights successful joint advocacy against Medicaid cuts and Affordable Care Act repeal attempts. 

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Medicare's new GUIDE program pays up to $2,500 annually for respite care for dementia patients, marking the first time Medicare has supported unpaid family caregivers. Available in 45 states with 330 participating providers, the program covers in-home caregivers, overnight care, or adult day care to give family caregivers breaks. Two-thirds of dementia caregivers are women, and the program aims to help patients stay home longer while reducing Medicare costs through fewer emergency visits.

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President Trump announced plans for an executive order to eliminate mail-in voting after consulting with Disability advocates warn this would disproportionately disenfranchise disabled and aging voters who rely on absentee ballots due to inaccessible polling places, transportation barriers, and health conditions. The proposal would also impact full-time caregivers who may not be able to find alternative care arrangements on election day.

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Sisters Carrie and Kristy Madden, who have muscular dystrophy, rely on California's In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) - a self-direction program that allows them to hire and manage their own caregivers. They employ Gigi and Felix Valbuena for essential daily tasks like bathing, dressing, and cooking. The article highlights how IHSS enabled paid family caregiving when Carrie initially hired their mother as her caregiver. Now facing $1 trillion in federal Medicaid cuts, the sisters fear losing the independence that IHSS provides.

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This summer marks the 60th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid, the twin government programs that have shaped the health care system into what it is today. In this special episode, KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner interviews two experts on the history, significance, and future of these programs: Medicare historian and University of North Carolina professor Jonathan Oberlander and George Washington University professor emerita Sara Rosenbaum, who has studied Medicaid since nearly its beginning and has helped shape Medicaid policy over the past four decades.

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The National Association of Medicaid Directors released a timeline outlining key Medicaid policy changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) that require immediate state planning. The resource highlights provisions with the greatest operational impact, requiring new systems, budgetary processes, or federal CMS approvals well before effective dates. It emphasizes upcoming deadlines where states must make critical implementation decisions now, though it's not a comprehensive list of all OBBBA policies.

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A new report from AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving reveals 63 million Americans now provide unpaid caregiving, a 45% jump from a decade ago, with many facing financial hardship and health challenges.

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