Introduced multiple times by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Lifespan Respite Care Act of 2006 was approved by both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate in December of 2006. In her statements to the Senate, Senator Clinton said, “Family caregivers provide 80 percent of all long term care in the United States. But…you don’t get real financial help unless you put your loved one in a nursing home. There is something wrong with that.” Supported in Congress by Senators such as Clinton, Warner, and Snowe, and by Representatives such as Ferguson and Langevin, the Lifespan Respite Care Act of 2006 provides almost $300 million over five years to increase access to respite care services for caregivers of family members with special needs conditions. In the words of Senator Clinton, “I’m grateful that we’re going to be passing this legislation and giving some assistance to these courageous men and women, these parents, these children, these grandparents, these spouses.”

Click here to read Senator Clinton’s announcement of the Act passing