This webinar is part of the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC)’s ongoing advocacy and research efforts to improve support for transplant caregivers, building on recommendations from the report, Transplant Caregiving in the US: A Call for Systems Change. Family caregivers are the “unsung heroes” in the transplantation process, managing waitlists, providing long-term follow up, assisting with complex needs, and navigating healthcare systems. Despite these challenges, they often go unrecognized and lack adequate support and resources.

During this webinar, NAC will share data from its latest report titled Gaps and Opportunities: Family Caregiver Programs in U.S. Transplant Centers, which examines the policies and practices for identifying, assessing, and supporting family caregivers across transplant centers. The data reveals that while 70% of transplant centers offer at least one type of caregiver support program only 3% of centers conduct regular caregiver assessments. The report also issues six recommendations to ensure that family caregivers are supported throughout the transplant journey. Participants will hear from healthcare experts, advocates, and family caregivers about the vital role caregivers play in transplant care. This discussion will be tailored for a variety of audiences, including transplant center providers, patient advocacy groups, policymakers, and researchers to highlight the need to recognize and support family caregivers to improve patient short- and long-term health and quality of life outcomes.

Attendees will be able to:

• Understand the role of family caregivers in the transplant care
• Learn about the availability of family caregiver support services based on a national survey of transplant centers
• Identify the gaps and opportunities for improving support for family caregivers
• Explore the current transplant delivery system reform efforts and their impact on family caregivers