Inaugural Betty Irene Moore Fellow unites with program leaders for caregiving webinar
National program director and advisory council member serve as speakers
June 22, 2022
Betty Irene Moore Fellow Melissa O'Connor moderates a Caregiving NOW webinar hosted by Penn Nursing June 8.
An inaugural fellow of the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators recently moderated a special webinar focused on the caregiving crisis in the United States that featured two familiar faces from the fellowship program.
Heather M. Young, national program director for the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators, and Susan Reinhard, co-chair of the Fellowship National Advisory Council, spoke June 8 during the kickoff Caregiving NOW webinar hosted by Penn Nursing. The discussion was moderated by Melissa O’Connor, inaugural Betty Irene Moore Fellow and inaugural M. Louise Fitzpatrick Endowed Professor at the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing at Villanova University.
“I was incredibly honored to serve as moderator for the first webinar in the Caregiving NOW series, especially given the two very accomplished panelists, Heather M. Young and Susan Reinhard. Over the past two years, the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators gave me the tools, confidence and most importantly, some unique skills related to working with the media that allowed me to embrace this opportunity and participate in this national event,” O’Connor said.
During the webinar, Young and Reinhard discussed the lack of paid caregivers, the growing demand for more caregivers and the feelings of invisibility that many caregivers often experience. They also touched on policy changes that may help ease the financial burden for family caregivers and the potential positive impact of The Caregiver Advise, Record and Enable (CARE) Act, which has been passed in 45 states. The act requires hospitals to include patient caregiver names in the medical record, notify caregivers when a patient is discharged and include instructions for caregiving at home.
“Susan Reinhard and I have collaborated on the issues surrounding caregiving for a long time and it is a joy to join forces with fellow Melissa O’Connor. She brings deep expertise in home health care and appreciates the vital role families play in the wellbeing of older adults. We are excited about the Caregiving NOW initiative,” Young said.
The Caregiving NOW webinar series focuses on the caregiving crisis and innovative solutions for reshaping the caregiving landscape. It builds on the work of the NewCourtland Center for Transitions and Health members based at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in partnership with leaders and staff at NewCourtland to create a roadmap offering short- and longer-term solutions to enhance the well-being of all caregivers in the United States.
