Resource Guide for Family Caregivers
The 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers provides a first-ever roadmap to improve access to information, services, and resources for family caregivers of all ages — from youth to grandparents. The National Strategy was presented to the U.S. Congress in 2022. Although the National Strategy alone will not create or expand services, and additional work is needed to increase access to resources, many resources are currently available.
This guide presents a “how to” for family caregivers to learn about some of the existing resources that align with the areas of focus outlined in the National Strategy.
Resources that Raise Awareness and Outreach for Caregiver Needs
Some resources are designed to help family caregivers manage personal challenges they face. They include:
- Take care of your own health and well-being because caregiving, particularly if you are caring for a person with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia, can be rewarding but overwhelming.
- Support those who are experiencing mental health challenges by reaching out to them, asking them how they are doing and if you can help.
- Stay socially connected and prevent loneliness and isolation.
- Learn about the specific and universal needs of diverse communities, such as LGBTQ+ caregivers who speak English or Spanish, or Black caregivers of older adults.
- Join the Act on RAISE campaign to help accelerate the implementation of the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers.
Want to learn more about outreaching to diverse caregivers of older adults?
Contact:
- The National Caucus and Center on Black Aging Inc. at 202-637-8400 or contact@ncba-aging.org
- The National Hispanic Council on Aging at 202-347-9733 or 202-658-8664 (WhatsApp) or nhcoa@nhcoa.org
- The National Indian Council on Aging at 505-292-2001 or the Contact Us page
- SAGE (Advocacy and Services for LGBTQ+ Elders) at 212-741-2247 or info@lgbtagingcenter.org
- ASIAAN (Aging Services Inclusive of Asian American Networks) at 312-355-0525 or ASIAANProject@gmail.com
All of these organizations receive funding from the Administration for Community Living, with a resource library that contains a wide variety of aging caregiving resources.
Resources about Being a Member of the Care Team
Family caregivers are often called upon to deliver complex medical care with little to no training, but these online resources can help:
- Access helpful online training for caring for people with dementia, cancer, and rare diseases, as well as caring for older adults and long-distance caregiving.
- Help with medications and medical devices.
- Collaborate more effectively with professional caregivers.
Resources about Finding Services and Support on the Local Level
It’s not easy to find good, affordable services and supports to provide care, but these resources can help:
- Find help in your community by entering your zip code, or call the Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116, or connect to family caregiver services by state.
- Take a break and find respite care in your area because caregiving can be exhausting.
- Find free help for military and veteran caregivers or help for family caregivers at Veteran Affairs Medical Centers.
- Join a support group such as the ones for caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease or cancer.
- Search a directory for evidence-based dementia care programs for family caregivers that are available in your area.
Resources on Maintaining Financial Security
Many caregivers worry about finances, and six out of 10 caregivers juggle employment and caregiving responsibilities. These resources may help you:
- Find out if and how to get a tax break.
- See if you can get leave from work and learn how to talk to employers about taking time off for family and medical leave.
- Get financial planning tips.
- Create important financial and legal documents, such as durable powers of attorney, health care proxies, living wills, last wills and testaments, and living trusts.
- Conduct advanced care planning for your spouse/partner, so you know their preferences at the end-of-life, and use a checklist to get it all in order.
- Learn about best practices, resources, and options for advance care planning for caregivers of AAPI older adults in webinars.
- Find out if and how you can be a paid family caregiver.
- Learn the warning signs of financial exploitation scams and how to avoid potential abuse (fact sheetsavailable in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Samoan, and Tagalog).
- Navigate the benefit programs available to older adults and people with disabilities such as Social Security for Tribal elders.
The Act on RAISE campaign — powered by the National Alliance for Caregiving — is focused on driving implementation of the actions outlined in the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers. Individuals and organizations are welcome to join the campaign to help accelerate the implementation of the National Strategy as envisioned in the RAISE Family Caregivers Act.
Learn More
To learn more about the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers, visit the National Academy for State Health Policy’s RAISE Act Family Caregiver Implementation and Technical Assistance Center.
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