HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	76
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the executive office on aging to continue ITS research of the timebanking concept for Hawaii's respite system.

 

 

     WHEREAS, the Executive Office on Aging is the designated lead agency in the coordination of a statewide system of aging and caregiver support services in the State, as authorized by federal and state laws; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Executive Office on Aging was awarded a Lifespan Respite Care Program federal grant from the Administration on Community Living to analyze and strengthen the State's current respite system with a goal of supporting Hawaii's family caregivers to maintain their health and employment while providing care in the home to care for recipients of all ages and disabilities; and

 

     WHEREAS, respite services offer a temporary break to caregivers from their ongoing responsibility of caring for an individual of any age; and

 

     WHEREAS, local and national surveys have shown respite to be the most frequently requested service of the nation's family caregivers, increasing the quality of life of caregivers and often preventing or delaying institutionalization of the loved one for whom they are providing care; and

 

     WHEREAS, Act 220, Session Laws of Hawaii 2008, facilitated the 2009 report, "Respite Care in the State of Hawaii", which identified several local respite service gaps, such as virtually no transportation to or from respite sites and prohibitive costs associated with service delivery, thus preventing many of Hawaii's family caregivers from accessing respite services; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Executive Office on Aging recognizes that each year the State is asked to fund numerous home- and community‑based social service programs that support Hawaii's family caregivers and their respite needs, such as Kupuna Care; and

 

     WHEREAS, home- and community-based social service programs have traditionally utilized a monetary form of currency to support their service delivery; and

 

     WHEREAS, alternative forms of currency to support increasing community needs are being explored locally, nationally, and internationally; and

 

     WHEREAS, the concept of timebanking helps transform public services by introducing a new form of currency called "time dollars"; and

 

     WHEREAS,  timebanking further transforms public services by empowering community members to be the providers and recipients of services, earning "time dollars" when providing a service and withdrawing those "time dollars" to pay for services to meet their family's needs; and

 

     WHEREAS, timebanking may support and improve many of the service gaps identified in the 2009 report, "Respite Care in the State of Hawaii"; and

 

     WHEREAS, the International Journal of Community Currency Research's investigation into timebank membership in the United States revealed that seventy percent of timebank participants join for economic reasons, benefiting from receiving services and using their own skill sets; and

 

     WHEREAS, these findings support the need for further analysis into alternative currencies, such as "time dollars", to aid Hawaii's families in conserving their monetary resources and enabling their loved ones to age in place; and

 

     WHEREAS, timebanking may offer a more sustainable provision of social services and may strengthen Hawaii's communities by building on individual strengths and recognizing that everyone in our community has something to offer, thus empowering our ohana to be active agents of change by caring for our own neighborhoods; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2013, the Senate concurring, that the Executive Office on Aging is requested to continue its research and investigation into timebanking as a sustainable and alternative currency system that will build social capital to enhance and strengthen Hawaii's respite system; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Executive Office on Aging submit a report on its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2014; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of the Executive Office on Aging.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Executive Office on Aging; Timebanking