2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers, developed by the two congressionally mandated councils.
Organized under five goals, the strategy details nearly 350 actions that the federal government will take in the next three years to support family caregivers.
The strategy also includes more than 150 specific actions that state and local governments, public health departments, philanthropies, and community-based, faith-based, and nonprofit organizations can take immediately to support the nation’s 53 million caregivers.
The National Strategy includes government actions that address issues that caregivers say are most important, including:
- Access to Respite Services: AmeriCorps Seniors will offer professional short-term care to help family caregivers take a break;
- Support with Day-to-Day and Complex Medical Tasks: Offices throughout the government will coordinate with states to grow and strengthen the direct care workforce to help more family caregivers with caregiving tasks;
- Inclusion of Caregivers in Care Teams: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will update rules to include family caregivers in the hospital discharge planning process so transitions are smoother for all involved;
- Financial Education on Caregiving Costs: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will increase the availability and use of financial education tools on the costs of long-term care so caregivers can better prepare;
- Better Identification of Family Caregivers: Departments across the government will pilot identification of family caregivers in electronic health records and state information systems and conduct localized outreach to share information with family caregivers about the support available;
- Research on the Needs of Family Caregivers: Interdepartmental efforts across the federal government will research family caregiving to inform evidence-based policies, including by providing grants to colleges and universities with gerontology and family service programs so support options meet family caregivers’ needs.
The National Strategy is organized into four components, each a separate PDF:
- 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers
- First Principles: Cross-Cutting Considerations for Family Caregiver Support
- Federal Actions
- Actions for States, Communities, and Others
Take action to be a part of the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers:
- Spread the Word:
Share the National Strategy using these resources:
- ACL Social Media Kit with general posts about the strategy and caregiving
- JAHF Social Media Promotional Pack and Graphics with additional posts about federal actions
- Template Press Release to issue your own statement of action
- Key Messages to help you tell the story of the National Strategy
- Give Your Input: Review the National Strategy, and, beginning Oct. 1, share your support with a public comment. The Strategy will be updated biennially, informed in part by public feedback.
- Commit to Action: Publicly announce the actions your organization will take, either through the public comments or your own communications.
- Help Your State Take Action: Join a webinar, “A State Roadmap for Supporting Family Caregivers," an Oct. 3 from the National Academy for State Health Policy and its RAISE Act Family Caregiver Resource and Dissemination Center.
The National Strategy was developed by the RAISE (Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage) Family Caregiving Advisory Council and The Advisory Council to Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren—both comprised of family caregivers, healthcare experts, advocates, and others—with technical support from the Administration for Community Living.
The John A. Hartford Foundation and the National Academy for State Health Policy provided support to the RAISE Family Caregiving Advisory Council through resources, technical assistance, and policy analysis.
Go to the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers.
Read press releases from ACL and HHS.
Go to ACL's infographic.
Provide public comment.
Join a NASHP October 3 webinar, National Family Caregiving Strategy: A State Roadmap for Supporting Family Caregivers.
Go to NASHP's RAISE Act Family Caregiver Resource and Dissemination Center.
Learn more about JAHF's support.
Go to JAHF and NASHP's press release.