On August 7, 2024, the Senate Special Committee on Aging held a field hearing titled, From Infancy to Aging: The Effects of Caregiving Across the Lifespan. Katherine B. McGuire, MSc, APA’s Chief Advocacy Officer, submitted written testimony on behalf of APA Services (PDF, 238KB)opens in new window to draw attention to the mental health needs of caregivers, emphasizing that although caregivers may gain some personal psychological fulfillment from caring for their loved ones, “caregivers are also more likely to report higher levels of anxiety and depression than their non-caregiver counterparts.”
The association also noted that Caregiver Behavior Management Training (CBMT) may be helpful in teaching interventions that caregivers can independently use to better manage the patient’s disease, and applauded the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services for activating a new coding and reimbursement mechanism for CMBT services provided by psychologists in its annual Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule and for allowing such services to be provided via telehealth.
Finally, the testimony highlighted the importance of Congress supporting telehealth through measures such as the Telemental Health Care Access Act (H.R. 3432opens in new window) and the complete Care Act (H.R. 5819opens in new window), which would temporarily boost Medicare reimbursement rates as well as supporting funding for further research on caregiving.
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