In the spirit of setting intentions for 2024, Community Care Corps is reflecting on the achievements of 2023 and future pursuits to strengthen our nation’s caregiving landscape. Family caregivers are the backbone of our nation’s long-term care system and caregiver support is often unaffordable or unavailable, especially in rural and historically marginalized and underserved populations. Family caregivers provide indispensable care to their loved ones and there is a great need to expand our framework of support to promote caregiver health, well-being and quality of life.
Developed by the advisory councils created by the RAISE Family Caregiving Act and the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren ACT, the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers details recommendations to build a comprehensive system of family caregiver support. With over 500 proposed actions that can be adopted at every level of government, across public and private sectors, the National Strategy emphasizes the role that we all play in supporting our nation’s caregivers and realizing these five main goals:
Increase awareness of and outreach to family caregivers.
Advance partnerships and engagement with family caregivers.
Strengthen services and supports for family caregivers.
Ensure financial and workplace security for family caregivers.
Expand data, research and evidence-based practices to support family caregivers.
With a mission closely aligned with goal three (and outcome 3.6), Community Care Corps facilitates the coordination, vetting and training of volunteers of all ages and abilities to assist family caregivers with nonmedical support.
Community Care Corps grantees have had great success tapping into college populations seeking experiential service-learning, leveraging volunteer power of older adults seeking opportunities to give back to their communities, and engaging family caregivers and adults with disabilities in peer-to-peer models of support. Engaging younger generations who will comprise our future workforce and allowing older adults, adults with disabilities and family caregivers to share their experience and wisdom, grantees are working at the local level to inspire and maintain systems and environments conducive to accessible and responsive caregiver support.
To continue leveraging their success and establishing sustainable systems, Community Care Corps grantees couple volunteer opportunities with access to formal trainings and certifications that often have professional application. Not only do these volunteer opportunities increase the availability of direct supports for family caregivers but they contribute to new paths for expanding our direct care workforce.
Community Care Corps is eager to see what 2024 has in store and forge ahead in support of these shared goals. To learn more about how your organization’s mission and work aligns with the National Strategy and actions you can undertake to cultivate a robust, coordinated approach to supporting family caregivers, read the full report.