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Message from the Board Chairman
Beth Meyer-Arnold
| Get On Board! This is such an exciting time for Adult Day Services! I have three very important issues that I want to put before you in this issue of The Voice: Medicare Adult Day Care Services Act of 2009 This bill, introduced on Friday, June 26, 2009 by Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-CA), gives seniors, people with disabilities, and families an option to choose adult day care under Medicare for their rehabilitation services. | | 
| Rep. Sanchez' press release goes on to recap the three important talking points for us as adult day care providers: "Adult day care is a family-friendly option for seniors who require rehabilitation and other assistance with daily life tasks, but don't require 24-hour care," said Rep. Linda Sánchez. "The Medicare Adult Day Care Services Act is a cost-effective way to add more choice to Medicare because it would pay adult day care providers 98% of the home health rate and give our seniors the option to choose adult day care for Medicare post-acute services. This not only helps the patient but also the patient's family, who most likely have another job in addition to being a fulltime caregiver." In addition to increasing choices for seniors and people with disabilities, this bill would provide a vital service to family caregivers. These caregivers (who are primarily women and who typically come from families with lower average incomes than non-caregiving families) lose an average of $659,139 in wages, pension benefits, and Social Security benefits over a lifetime. Providing Medicare beneficiaries the option of adult day care helps protect incomes for family caregivers without adding to the cost of Medicare. - Medicare Adult Day Care Services Act is cost-effective because it would pay 98% of the home health care rate.
- Medicare Adult Day Care Services Act gives our seniors the option to choose adult day care as a site for receiving their Medicare post-acute service.
- Medicare Adult Day Care Services Act would provide a vital service to family caregivers.
Get on Board! Call your Legislator! 
National Adult Day Services Association National Conference
Oct 8-10, 2009, Seattle, Washington
"Enriching Lives and Empowering Each Other through Wellness and Creativity"
This is your turn to get on board and support your national association. We need your help! This year we received more proposals to present than we could accommodate. Professionals know that we offer a conference that is important, and that they want to get their message to adult day services providers. We need your help to make this a successful conference and to give NADSA the financial support that we need to get stronger each year. I am challenging… - all state associations to become members of NADSA in 2009
- all centers to become members of NADSA in 2009
- NADSA members to take out an ad in the conference brochure to recognize your staff, your families and your community for being a member of NADSA.
NADSA is an organization that has nurtured, educated and provided guidance and direction to adult day services for 30 years. If every one of us would purchase a $50 business card-size ad, imagine the impact on our vendors, corporate and foundation sponsors and our conference attendees! Imagine the impact as we gather support for our Medicare Adult Day Care Services Act! Get on Board…Buy an Ad!
National Adult Day Services Census The third and last exciting piece of news that I want to share with you is that the National Adult Day Services Census Project was just funded by the MetLife Mature Market Institute (MMI). NADSA will be working in partnership with MMI and Ohio State University's Dr. Holly Dabelko-Schoeny and Dr. Keith Anderson. A new survey instrument is being developed that will gather up-to-date information on capacity, demographics, and financial, organizational and best practices of all adult day centers in the United States. We are compiling the ground work for documentation of benchmarks and outcomes of quality adult day services that we can offer to all adult day services providers and to our publics. Get on Board...Join NADSA and register for the census! Read on to the next article to learn more about the census!
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