The National Alliance for Caregiving made significant strides in 2024, working alongside our partners to create lasting change for America’s family caregivers. Through credible research, pragmatic advocacy, and cross-sector collaboration, we achieved critical wins that strengthen support for our nation’s more than 53 million family caregivers providing complex care.
Throughout the year, we’ve focused on system-level changes that make caregiving more sustainable and dignified – from strengthening Medicare to advancing the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers. You can find a snapshot of our 2024 impact here 2024 impact here and a deeper look below.
As we look ahead, NAC remains committed to ensuring family caregivers have the tools, resources, and recognition they need to provide care with dignity. We will continue seeking common ground while advocating for our core belief: caregivers deserve better, more supportive systems of care.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who made this impactful year possible – from family caregivers who shared their personal stories, to funders who believed in our vision, to the researchers, partners, and policymakers who rely on our expertise.
Together, we are creating the policy, system, and culture change needed to value family caregivers.
With care and gratitude –
Jason Resendez
President & CEO
Shaping Federal Policy to Value Care
We made critical progress at the federal level in 2024, from championing investments in community-level services to leveraging the public comment process to strengthen programs like Medicare – all in service of supporting family caregivers.
Reauthorizing the Older Americans Act
Through the Older Americans Act (OAA), the aging services network provides critical support services to family caregivers, including respite care, training, and counseling. In 2024, NAC led a dynamic advocacy campaign to strengthen and reauthorize this vital legislation. As a part of our Caregiver Nation Summit Hill Day, more than 100 advocates from 22 states came to Washington, DC. These grassroots champions met with 100+ congressional offices to share powerful stories about how OAA programs enable caregivers to help older adults live independently with dignity. Our coordinated advocacy, alongside partners, helped drive the Act’s passage through the Senate. Learn more here.
Building Better Systems of Care through Federal Rulemaking
Through the public comment process, we worked to ensure that our laws and policies give family caregivers the opportunity to reach their best health and wellbeing. NAC offered comments and mobilized our network on three proposed rules in 2024. Each time, we provided detailed analysis with one purpose: to make our systems of care work better for family caregivers.
- Modernizing the Older Americans Act – In February 2024, NAC championed crucial updates to OAA regulations that expanded support for family caregivers through the aging services network. The Administration for Community Living expanded the definition of family caregivers to include unmarried partners, friends, and neighbors, while establishing caregivers as an eligible service population and requiring their input in state and local service planning. This ensures OAA programs better address the changing needs of family caregivers. Learn more here.
- Reshaping Medicare Support Systems – The 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule marked a turning point in recognizing family caregivers’ vital role in healthcare delivery. NAC’s advocacy through the Act on RAISE Campaign and Cancer Caregiving Collaborative secured expanded access for caregiver training, particularly for complex medical tasks. The updated rule streamlines consent processes, extends telehealth access, and adds behavioral health resources, formally integrating caregivers into healthcare teams. Read about our work here.
- Protecting Caregivers’ Financial Future – Responding to our research showing devastating financial impacts on family caregivers, NAC mobilized its network to reform credit practices. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s June 2024 proposed rule to strengthen the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act seeks to prevent creditors from using medical debt in credit decisions. This proposed reform helps protect caregivers’ financial stability and retirement security while ensuring equitable access to credit for families managing serious illness care. Read our comments here.
Driving Action on the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers
The National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers, launched in 2022, is transforming support for our nation’s 53 million family caregivers providing complex care. Thanks to NAC’s advocacy – through the Act on RAISE Campaign supported by the John A. Hartford Foundation – for federal funding, public reporting, and aligned policymaking, nearly all federal actions are completed or underway, with agencies committing to 40 new actions since launch. Support for the National Strategy has helped secure an additional $22 million in federal and state funding while leveraging $100 million in philanthropic support. Read about the progress here.
Catalyzing a Movement at Our Caregiver Nation Summit
Our second annual Caregiver Nation Summit brought together 600+ caregivers, policymakers, and advocates in-person and virtually to shape the future of caregiving policy. National leaders including Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Senator Shelley Moore Capito, and Medicare Director Dr. Meena Seshamani explored bipartisan solutions to the challenges family caregivers face. Governor Grisham, drawing from her personal caregiving experience, captured the summit’s spirit in her closing address: “No Americans show greater courage than caregivers.” Check out the Summit recordings here.
Delivering Credible Research to Drive Action
NAC’s evidence-based research equipped advocates, policymakers, and employers with crucial data to drive equitable support for family caregivers.
- We released “Gaps and Opportunities: Family Caregiver Programs in U.S. Transplant Centers,” a report that analyzed the caregiver support practices and resources of 114 transplant centers nationwide. The research revealed that 30% offered no family caregiver support programs, highlighting a critical gap in healthcare system support while providing actionable recommendations for improvement.
- Our research informed 500 peer-reviewed publications spanning healthcare and economics, contributing to a robust evidence base to transform caregiver support through policy and practice innovations. A highlight included our landmark research project with AARP included in the 2024 Economic Report of the President, making the case for investments in long-term care services and supports.
Strengthening Our Networks to Catalyze Change
In 2024, we expanded and strengthened our networks to drive systemic change for family caregivers at both state and national levels.
- We launched the Caregiver Nation Network, partnering with Grantmakers in Aging to unite grassroots champions across 10 states for peer-led advocacy and learning. The network has shaped local caregiving narratives and policy change, resulting in eight states adopting National Family Caregivers Month proclamations aligned with the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers.
- Through our Cancer Caregiving and Transplant Caregiving Collaboratives, we united more than 500 medical experts, family caregivers, and patient advocates in transforming serious illness support. These initiatives delivered 10 educational events focused on advancing health system solutions for serious illness caregiving.
- With support from the Administration for Community Living, we launched the Creating and Advancing Caregiving Research and Evidence (CARE) Network. This initiative aims to improve our nation’s caregiving research infrastructure, with a particular focus on enhancing the delivery of caregiver supports and services.
Looking Forward
As we look to 2025, NAC remains committed to advancing caregiver support while protecting our hard-won progress. The coming year will be pivotal, highlighted by the release of our landmark Caregiving in the U.S. 2025 data project with AARP and our advocacy to strengthen Medicaid and Medicare support for family caregivers. These efforts will help secure vital programs while reinforcing our national commitment to making caregiving more sustainable and dignified.
Personally, I am filled with both determination and hope. We remain focused on envisioning and implementing policies that build a future where caregiving is fully recognized, valued, and supported across our nation. While we’ve made significant strides together, the best outcomes for America’s caregivers are still ahead. Caregiving is our common ground.
