Forward
Our election series closes with a few thoughts about moving forward.
I attended a conference called HLTH last month. An afternoon of panel discussions on aging and caregiving issues was packed. Conversations about the role of family caregivers were woven into other panels and discussions. During casual conversations with other attendees at lunch or break, everyone got what I do. (In the past, I had to educate others about family caregivers and the importance of supporting them.)
I left the conference with one thought: It’s all different now. The way we approached supporting family caregivers — over-valuing research and spending too much money on ineffective lobbying for policy change — is done.
That thought — “It’s all different now” — was a huge relief for me. We needed to stop researching family caregiving issues 20 years ago. We need to stop paying consultants to write white papers and draft policies that have little chance of making any difference in the daily lives of family caregivers. For too long, the winners in our space have been those organizations that receive funding for research and policy. The losers have been the family caregivers who do not benefit.
Going forward, I believe the organizations that will receive funding will be the ones making the difference. I saw that at HLTH; organizations are prioritizing well-being, including for family caregivers.
With the election behind us, we’re in for more changes. It’s important we focus on supporting family caregivers in our communities — our neighborhoods, workplaces, houses of worship and online. If we can do that — improve the caregiving experience in our communities — we’ll have improved the experience on a national level.
We can do it. We have to do it.
Resources
Please share your caregiving data which can represent the reality of your caregiving day.
Join us in November for special events and deals on our training programs.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts in our survey about the help and support you want and need. It’s been so helpful for me to read your insights about your experiences. If you haven’t had a chance to complete the survey yet, you’ll find it here. It takes about 5 minutes.