She emphasized the need for greater caregiver involvement in medical decisions, increased information, communication, training and education. The next witness on the third panel was Mary Mittelman from the Aging and Dementia Research Center at New York University Medical Center. Dr. Mittelman talked about New York University's program to help ease the burden of caregivers and avoid or delay entry into nursing homes. At NYU, it has been shown that counseling and support of caregivers is an extemely effective tool. The goal of the treatment is first, to make it possible for spouse caregivers to postpone or avoid placing loved ones in a nursing home and second, to reduce the negative impact of caregiving on the caregiver.
Treatment includes individual custom-tailored counseling.
Counselors are available to help caregivers and their families deal with the changing nature of the patient's symptoms, to provide information and referrals for additional help, and help them understand and manage the patient's behavior. The treatment also requires caregivers to agree to join support groups that meet weekly. The results of the project were that caregivers who utilized these services were able to postpone placing patients in nursing homes for about a year longer than caregivers who were not part of the program. In addition, the well-being of the caregivers improved. Dr. David Levy and Carol Weinrod of Franklin Health Incorporated described the company's intensive case management program for medically complex patients and their family caregivers.