government
Caregivers could get a 24/7 crisis hotline in New York
The Office for the Aging would run the toll-free line with mental health officials. It would also include language help for limited- and non-English speakers.
New York would set up a statewide caregiver crisis hotline for people who help a parent, child or other dependent with daily needs. The line would offer emotional support resources, not just referrals, and could be used by informal caregivers who do not live with the person they help.
- Toll-free hotline would be available statewide, day and night.
- It is aimed at informal caregivers, including family members who do not live with the person they help.
- Language assistance would be required for limited- and non-English speakers.
- The line would offer emotional support resources, not just referrals.
- In New York, caregivers who are carrying the daily load for a parent, child or other dependent would have a place to call when the strain turns urgent
In New York, caregivers who are carrying the daily load for a parent, child or other dependent would have a place to call when the strain turns urgent. The proposal would direct the director of the Office for the Aging, working with the commissioner of mental health, to establish a caregiver crisis hotline that offers emotional support resources, not just basic information.
Who the line is meant to reach
The bill defines an informal caregiver broadly. It covers a family member or other natural person who normally provides daily care or supervision, as well as someone who contributes to and is involved in those caretaking responsibilities. That caregiver would not have to live in the same household as the person getting help.
The people on the receiving end are also defined in plain terms. The hotline would serve people who cannot attend to daily needs without regular help because of a mental or physical impairment, including people under 18 with those impairments.
A number built for real life
The line would have to be toll-free, available statewide and open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It would also have to include a language assistance line for limited- and non-English speakers, which makes the service more usable in a stressful moment when searching through a website or calling during business hours may not be realistic.
The act would take effect 120 days after it becomes law.