Today, April 18th, the White House issued a sweeping set of Executive Actions to support family caregivers and the paid care workforce. In response to President Biden’s Executive Orders to support family caregivers, Caregiver Action Network issued the following statement.
For thirty years, Caregiver Action Network (the National Family Caregivers Association) has advocated on behalf of family caregivers and provided education and support free of charge to family caregivers. Today, President’s Biden Executive Actions take an important and much needed step to alleviate the significant hardships so many Americans face as they provide care for a family member or friend.
Caregiver Action Network stands ready to assist our nation’s family caregivers and support the new initiatives outlined by the White House. Specifically, we applaud the call to test new dementia care models that include support for respite care; makes it easier for family caregivers to access information if their loved one is a Medicare beneficiary; supports family caregivers through the hospital discharge process; and increases funding through the America Recovery Plan to provide $145 million for the National Family Caregiver Support Program.
The Executive Actions to support the paid care workforce will also have a beneficial impact on family caregivers, who are frequently impacted by the shortages in the paid care workforce and the long-term care workforce. Family caregivers will benefit from leveraging Medicaid to ensure there are enough home care workers to provide care to seniors and people with disabilities enrolled in Medicaid. The Actions also build on the minimum staffing standards for nursing homes and condition a portion of Medicare payments on how well a nursing home retains workers.
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About CAN
Caregiver Action Network (www.CaregiverAction.org) is the nation’s leading family caregiver organization working to improve the quality of life for more than 90 million Americans who care for loved ones with chronic conditions, disabilities, disease, or the frailties of old age. CAN serves a broad spectrum of family caregivers ranging from the parents of children with significant health needs, to the families and friends of wounded soldiers; from a young couple dealing with a diagnosis of MS, to adult children caring for parents with Alzheimer’s disease. CAN reaches caregivers on multiple platforms. CAN (the National Family Caregivers Association) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing education, peer support, and resources to family caregivers across the country free of charge.