“Supporting Rural Family Caregivers”
Satellite Broadcast

Wednesday, March 19, 2008
1:00 PM - 3:30 PM Eastern Time

An informative live satellite broadcast entitled “Supporting Rural Family Caregivers” will be broadcast on March 19, 2008, from 1:00 to 3:30 PM Eastern time. Sponsored by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, the federal government agency that manages Medicare and Medicaid, this broadcast will consist of taped segments from various expert speakers highlighting resources available from Medicare and Medicaid for rural family caregivers.

Addressing the needs of rural family caregivers has been included in the 2008 National Grange Blueprint for Rural America as one of our priority issues. Grange members, their families, and interested members of Grange communities can participate in this satellite broadcast in one of four ways:

1. Visit a public downlink site that will be showing the broadcast, free of charge. To see a list of downlink sites per state, please visit: http://registration.casals.com/cms/locations.asp. As new sites register, the database is updated.  Each facility registered as a downlink site has a contact name and phone number. Anyone interested in viewing the broadcast may contact the downlink site nearest or most convenient to them and request to view the broadcast at their location.

2. Webcasting – You can view the satellite broadcast live on your computer. There will be 1,000 webcasting lines available through National Institutes of Health at http://videocast.nih.gov.

3. Audioline – You can listen via telephone. There will be 500 audiolines available. Please call 1-800-779-5364 as early as 30 minutes before program start time (1pm Eastern Time) and use “Caregivers” as the pass code.

4. DVD – CMS will also have a limited number of DVDs available for distribution after the broadcast.  Grange members interested in receiving a DVD (as long as supplies last) should send their request and address to caregivers@cms.hhs.gov. DVDs of the “Supporting Rural Family Caregivers” program would make excellent lecturers and community programs for a local Grange.

“Supporting Rural Family Caregivers” Satellite Broadcast Flyer

If you have any questions or comments regarding this Action Alert, please contact Legislative Program Assistant Samantha Johnson by e-mail at sjohnson@nationalgrange.org, or by phone at 1-888-4GRANGE, ext. 109.