ACL Supports Family Caregiving During
the COVID-19 Pandemic Response
By: Lance Robertson, Administrator and Assistant Secretary
for Aging
Even under the best of circumstances, caregiving can be
challenging. For many family caregivers, the routine tasks they perform
on behalf of their loved ones are more complex because of the COVID-19
pandemic. Not only must family caregivers take extra steps to ensure
their own health and wellbeing, but there are now additional protective
considerations.
Although states and communities have a range of services
and supports for family caregivers, many of the resources – like adult
day programs, respite services, and other in-home services – are
stretched to the limit, or have temporarily curtailed or stopped their
services.
Both professionally and personally, the staff and
leadership at the Administration for Community Living (ACL) is keenly
aware of, and we are addressing, the challenges facing all vulnerable
people and their family caregivers at this key time in our nation’s
history. .
Over the past weeks, ACL has been working diligently on
several fronts to help ensure people of all ages with long-term support
needs, and their family caregivers, have access to the programs,
services, and resources they need to remain in their homes and
communities. We have had the opportunity to meet one-on-one with aging
and disability network stakeholders to respond to their specific
technical assistance needs. Additionally, ACL quickly disbursed CARES
Act and Families First Coronavirus Response Act funds, ensuring that
states and providers have the resources they need to increase essential
services such as home delivered meals, and to find innovative ways to
modify existing services like virtual caregiver support groups and
ensuring that personal protective equipment (PPE) can be among those
supplies that can be provided.
During two “tele-town
hall” events convened by AARP on March 19 and 26, I shared
my thoughts on caring for family, friends, and neighbors during this
pandemic. I fielded questions about family caregiving, including
planning care, coordinating backup care, and accessing local resources
for additional support. Most importantly, I stressed the importance of
staying connected to isolated loved ones during this difficult time.
Because reliable information is especially critical during
this time, our agency is regularly updating our website
with information specifically for older adults, people with
disabilities, family caregivers, and our network of service providers.
Our website also contains materials for May’s Older Americans Month
observance. I know and appreciate that older adults across the country,
particularly during this pandemic, are making positive contributions in
their communities, within the parameters of safety.
On April 21, 2020, ACL
announced the release of nearly $1 Billion in grants to the
aging and disability networks to help meet the needs of older adults
and people with disabilities as communities implement measures to
mitigate the spread of COVID-19. These additional funds will enable our
networks to meet the increased need for in-home and supportive
services, home delivered meals, family caregiver support and assistance
available through Centers for Independent Living in every state.
Because supporting families and family caregivers is at
the very heart of ACL’s mission, I am particularly proud of the ongoing
work of the Family
Caregiving Advisory Council (FCAC) and the Advisory
Council to Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
(SGRG). Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, these
two extraordinary groups remain focused and engaged with ACL on
improving our system of supports and services for families and family
caregivers, grandparents and older relative caregivers. The FCAC
recently published a progress
report outlining their work and accomplishments.
As one example of our work supporting caregivers, I’d like
to describe a collaboration with the National Academy for State Health
Policy’s (NASHP) John
A. Hartford Foundation-fundedRAISE
Family Caregiver Resource and Dissemination Center.
NASHP issued a report analyzing more than 800 recommendations from
twenty-seven national, state and international family caregiving
consensus reports, most of which were written during the past
decade. This report will help FCAC’s development of the Initial
Report to Congress and the National Caregiving Strategy, already under
development.
The SGRG Council met virtually for its second meeting
on April 23, 2020. During that meeting, Council members solidified
their vision and adopted a set of guiding principles that will shape
their work on their Report to Congress and other efforts they undertake
to improve our nation’s response to the needs of grandparent and older
relative caregivers.
As I look ahead to the next several weeks and months, I
know that we will face significant challenges as we work to ensure our
family caregivers are supported at every turn, so that they, in turn,
can support their loved ones. I am confident that together we will
surmount every challenge and create a better future for all families
who support older adults and people of all ages with disabilities. The
vast majority of people want to remain independent and active in their
communities, and we salute the millions of caregivers who help them
achieve their goals.
