NACDD collaborated with the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC), with support from the John A. Hartford Foundation, to prepare “Chronic Disease Family Caregiving Through a Public Health Lens: The Framework for Family Caregiving and Public Health.” Released on Sept. 14, this framework outlines policy recommendations, implementation actions and messaging content to integrate caregivers and caregiving into public health practice, and existing initiatives to address the complex needs of America’s 53 million family caregivers.

“Family caregivers are essential to safeguarding the health of millions of Americans, but they often perform this role at the expense of their own health, emotional wellbeing, and financial security, creating a silent public health crisis that deserves urgent attention,” said Jason Resendez, President and CEO of NAC. “We are proud to partner with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors to shine a light on this crisis and to catalyze the action needed to address it.”

According to the NAC and AARP, more than one in five adults — a total of 53 million Americans — are unpaid family caregivers, creating ripple effects across families, communities, and the public health of the nation. Data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) finds that 40% of family caregivers report having two or more chronic diseases and over half (53%) of caregivers indicated that a decline in their own health has comprised their ability to provide care. Given a lack of affordable and accessible long-term services and adequate home and community-based supports, unpaid family caregivers are essential to supporting family members navigating chronic conditions, serious illnesses, and intellectual and development disabilities across the lifespan.

NAC and NACDD, supported by The John A. Hartford Foundation, worked with a wide range of experts at the intersections of public health and family caregiving to identify actions that can be taken by public health departments, states, and the federal government to strengthen their ability to meet the complex needs of family caregivers, including:

National-Level Recommendations

• Improve data collection on the health status of family caregivers – including factors that influence their health, disparities and evaluation of caregiver support and education programs.
• Integrate and improve the science of family caregiver research and literature within the schools of public health and professional associations to adapt current systems and prepare future public health workforces.
• Develop and disseminate messaging about the essential role of family caregivers and the importance of maintaining their health to audiences including providers, practitioners, employers, and emergency response officials.

Community-Level Recommendations

• Convene multi-sector stakeholders to strengthen, support, and mobilize communities and partnerships that can implement policies and practices that ensure the health and wellness of family caregivers as well as the persons receiving care.
• Increase funding and capacity for home and community-based services that are critical for family caregivers, including home care and direct care services, transportation, congregate and home-delivered meals, and family caregiver support.

Developed with guidance provided by state-based Chronic Disease Directors, this report and framework recognizes the importance of caregivers as a vital part of the health care team and that supporting these family caregivers is essential for improving public health outcomes for communities and the nation.

The report can be found at caregiving.org/public-health.