Bill Text: HI HR45 | 2016 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Working Group on the Elderly

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-03-11 - Referred to HLT/HUS, HED, FIN, referral sheet 27 [HR45 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2016-HR45-Introduced.html

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	45
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2016
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

CONVENING A WORKING GROUP ON THE ELDERLY.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, currently, 238,000 Hawaii residents, constituting 18.7 percent of Hawaii's total population, are aged 60 and older, and by 2030, this age group is projected to constitute more than one-fourth, or 27.4 percent, of the State's population; and

 

     WHEREAS, while Hawaii's population is expected to increase by 21 percent between 2000 and 2030, the number of people 60 years and older is expected to increase by 93.8 percent and the number of people 85 years and older is expected to increase by 174.7 percent during the same period; and

 

     WHEREAS, the large aging population will have a major impact on the organization and delivery of health care, with a shift from acute to chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lower respiratory diseases, Alzheimer's disease, and diabetes; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to the International Journal of Epidemiology:

 

(1)  The style of medicine will need to change from one-time interventions that correct a single problem to the ongoing management of multiple diseases and disabilities;

 

(2)  Doctors and patients will require an ongoing relationship designed to help patients cope with illnesses rather than curing them; and

 

(3)  Chronic illness means that long-term care services, such as nursing homes, home health, personal care, adult day care, and congregate housing will become much more important sources of care; and

WHEREAS, The State of Aging & Health in America 2013, supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, states that chronic diseases can affect a person's ability to perform important and essential activities, both inside and outside the home, in the following areas:

 

(1)  Persons may have trouble with instrumental activities of daily living, such as managing money, shopping, preparing meals, and taking medications as prescribed; and

 

(2)  Persons may also lose the ability to perform more basic activities, or activities of daily living, such as taking care of personal hygiene, feeding themselves, getting dressed, and toileting; and

 

WHEREAS, in the next ten years, the aging workforce in the State is expected to substantially affect the entire State and health care system, in particular, the following are four areas of major interest and concern relating to Hawaii's elderly:  palliative care, hospice care, advance directives, and end-of-life options; and

 

WHEREAS, convening a working group on the elderly would assist in addressing the health care needs of Hawaii's aging population; now, therefore,

 

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2016, that the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine is requested to convene a Working Group on the Elderly (Working Group) to develop and recommend a strategic plan to address issues in the areas of palliative care, hospice care, advance directives, and end-of-life options; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Working Group:

 

(1)  Review current palliative care techniques and "best practices" from other states to ensure that Hawaii's patients in hospice care, along with their families, are afforded the best practices during the final phase of each patient's life;

 

(2)  Explore end-of-life options to be provided to patients at the end stage of life; and

 

(3)  Identify a strategic plan to better address adequate palliative care, hospice care, advance directives, and end-of-life options for patients in the State; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Working Group comprise the following members:

 

(1)  The Dean of the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, or the Dean's designee, who shall serve as the Chair of the Working Group;

 

(2)  The Director of Health, or the Director's designee;

 

(3)  The Director of the Executive Office on Aging, or the Director's designee;

 

(4)  The Executive Director of Kōkua Mau, or the Executive Director's designee;

 

(5)  The State President of AARP Hawaii, or the State President's designee;

 

(6)  A member with expertise in palliative care and hospice care, to be appointed by the Dean of the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine from its department of geriatric medicine;

 

(7)  A physician who has expertise in internal medicine, gerontology, oncology, palliative care, or hospice care, to be appointed by the Governor;

 

     (8)  A physician who has expertise in internal medicine, gerontology, oncology, palliative care, or hospice care, to be appointed by the President of the Senate;

(9)  A physician who has expertise in internal medicine, gerontology, oncology, palliative care, or hospice care, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

 

(10) Two registered nurses who specialize in internal medicine, gerontology, oncology, palliative care, or hospice care, to be appointed by the Governor;

 

(11) A family member survivor of a patient who passed away after going through palliative care and hospice care, to be appointed by the President of the Senate; and

 

(12) A family member survivor of a patient who passed away after going through palliative care and hospice care, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

 

provided that all appointees are to have expertise in fields or disciplines related to the elderly, health care, and education or awareness of issues relating to the elderly; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all vacancies to the Working Group shall be filled in the manner provided for in the original appointments, and upon the initial meeting by the Working Group, its members may elect a vice chairperson and any other necessary officers from among the appointed members; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a majority of the Working Group shall constitute a quorum for its necessary duties; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Working Group is requested to submit to the Legislature:

 

(1)  An interim report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation and a draft strategic plan to better address health care for seniors in Hawaii, no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2017; and

 

(2)  A final report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation and a final strategic plan to better address health care for seniors in Hawaii, no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2018; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Working Group shall terminate on January 1, 2018; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Dean of the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Director of Health, Director of the Executive Office on Aging, Executive Director of Kōkua Mau, and State President of AARP Hawaii.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Working Group on the Elderly