National Alliance for Caregiving

National Alliance for Caregiving Learn more about us at www.caregiving.org. You can also follow our work on Twitter ()

An Alzheimer's diagnosis often comes too late — after the window to plan, prepare, and access treatment has already star...
08/05/2026

An Alzheimer's diagnosis often comes too late — after the window to plan, prepare, and access treatment has already started closing.

Our President & CEO, Jason Resendez, makes that case in The New York Times letter to the editor published today, responding to the paper's recent coverage of new blood-based testing for Alzheimer's disease.

New USC research cited in the letter found that family caregivers provide 6.8 billion hours of care each year to a relative or friend with dementia, valued at an estimated $237 billion. Data from the National Alliance for Caregiving and the Alzheimer's Association shows that family caregivers of people with Alzheimer's are nearly twice as likely as other caregivers to report that their own health has declined as a result of their caregiving duties.

"Reliable blood testing would give families something they rarely get now: time."

Time to access new treatments. Time to plan ahead. Time to protect their own health along the way.

Congress is already looking ahead, too. The bipartisan Alzheimer's Screening and Prevention (ASAP) Act would direct Medicare to cover routine blood-based screening once the FDA signs off — legislation Jason is calling on Congress to support.

📖 Read Jason Resendez's letter in The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/opinion/alzheimers-test.html

Natalie Bryan moved back to Oklahoma City to help care for her father after his early-stage Alzheimer's diagnosis. Eight...
08/03/2026

Natalie Bryan moved back to Oklahoma City to help care for her father after his early-stage Alzheimer's diagnosis. Eighteen months into treatment with Leqembi, he's shown almost no disease progression — he still drives himself to appointments, helps care for her kids, and lives independently. For a family bracing for rapid decline, it's been an unexpected gift of time.

USA TODAY reports new treatments like this are changing what the caregiving journey can look like. As the article notes, early detection is critical to treatment eligibility, and most Alzheimer's patients still require significant caregiving support. USA TODAY turned to our own research to put that in context — our Caregiving in the US 2025 report found that of the 63 million family caregivers nationwide, 27% are caring for someone with Alzheimer's, dementia, or another memory-related condition.

Stories like Natalie's are a reminder that innovation in treatment doesn't erase the need for caregiver support — it reshapes it. Early diagnosis, access to treatment, and strong caregiver resources all have to work together.

Thank you to USA TODAY and Madeline Mitchell for sharing Natalie's story and highlighting the data behind it.

📖 Read the full story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2026/07/17/aging-parents-alzheimers-treatment-caregivers/90850184007/

📊 Read our Caregiving in the US 2025 report: caregivingintheus.org

Today, the National Alliance for Caregiving submitted formal comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ...
07/31/2026

Today, the National Alliance for Caregiving submitted formal comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on the Medicaid Community Engagement Requirement Interim Final Rule.

America's 63 million family caregivers are the backbone of our healthcare and long-term care systems, providing hundreds of billions of dollars in care each year so their family members can remain safely in their homes and communities.

We're glad CMS recognized the vital role family caregivers play and excluded them from Medicaid work requirements. But gaps in the rule could still leave caregivers and care recipients without the protections Congress intended.

In our comments, we urged CMS to:

🔹 Adopt a standardized screening tool so states consistently identify eligible family caregivers
🔹 Close the gap between how disability is defined for caregivers versus the people they support
🔹 Strengthen the medical frailty standard to reflect real functional needs, not just diagnosis codes
🔹 Monitor and publicly report caregiver exclusion outcomes so eligible people aren't falling through the cracks

Family caregivers shouldn't have to choose between their own coverage and caring for a family member. We'll keep pushing CMS to get this right.

Read our full comment letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS): 🔗https://www.caregiving.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/NAC-CER-Comment-Letter-to-CMS_Final.pdf

More than 51 million Americans — nearly 1 in 5 adults — are caring for someone age 50 or older. That's the majority of a...
07/30/2026

More than 51 million Americans — nearly 1 in 5 adults — are caring for someone age 50 or older. That's the majority of all family caregivers in the U.S.

🚨 NEW REPORT | Our new companion report with AARP, Family Caregivers of Adults Age 50+, digs into who these caregivers are, what they're managing, and the toll — and purpose — it brings to their lives.

Here's a glimpse of what we found 👇

📊 Family caregivers of older adults now provide care for an average of 5 years, up from just 3.9 years in 2020
📊 23% are now providing 40+ hours of care per week
📊 6 in 10 family caregivers perform medical or nursing tasks for their care recipient
📊 More than 4 in 10 experienced a negative financial impact from caregiving
📊 64% reported emotional stress from their caregiving role

Despite the demands, caregiving also brings meaning — about half of family caregivers told us they feel a real sense of purpose in their role.

This is the care holding up families and communities across the country. It's time policies and programs caught up.

📖 Read the full report:https://www.caregivingintheus.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/family-caregivers-of-adults-age-50-plus-caregiving-in-us-2025-series.doi_.10.26419-2fppi.00412.001.pdf

Family caregivers care for family members every day so their care recipients can stay safely at home instead of in an in...
07/29/2026

Family caregivers care for family members every day so their care recipients can stay safely at home instead of in an institution. A new CMS rule could take away the protection they were promised.

Here's what's happening: H.R. 1 exempted family caregivers from Medicaid work requirements. But CMS's new rule (issued June 1, 2026) has serious gaps. Some caregivers won't have the documentation needed to prove they qualify. And because the rule defines disability inconsistently, a caregiver could be exempt while their care recipient loses Medicaid coverage entirely.

Why this matters: if this rule isn't fixed, caregivers and care recipients could lose access to Medicaid, not because they're ineligible, but because the system failed to recognize them.

What we're asking CMS to do:

🔹 Standardize screening tools so exempt caregivers are correctly identified
🔹 Use one consistent definition of disability throughout the rule
🔹 Track outcomes to confirm the exemption is actually working

Take action: Public comments close July 31, 2026. This is the window to influence the final rule before it's locked in.

Submit your comment here (a template is provided, and you can personalize it): https://caregiving.quorum.us/campaign/165450/

In your comment, share why Medicaid coverage matters to your family, how work requirements would disrupt caregiving, or your own caregiving story.

Take action before July 31. Caregivers protect their family members. Now it's our turn to protect them.

July 26th marks the 36th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act — a law that, alongside Olmstead v. L.C., af...
07/26/2026

July 26th marks the 36th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act — a law that, alongside Olmstead v. L.C., affirmed the right of people with disabilities to live and receive care in their communities.

That right depends on strong home- and community-based services (HCBS) and the family caregivers who help make it real.

This anniversary comes at a critical moment: a recent DOJ Office of Legal Counsel opinion has introduced uncertainty around how community integration protections will be enforced going forward. It doesn't change the law — but it raises real concerns for the millions of families relying on HCBS to stay together at home.

The connection between caregiving and disability runs deep:

📊 Nearly 1 in 5 family caregivers have a disability themselves
📊 Those caregivers are 3x more likely to report filing for bankruptcy than caregivers without a disability
📊 49% have household incomes under $50,000
📊 Family caregivers with disabilities are 3x more likely to report filing for bankruptcy than caregivers without a disability

Weakening community integration protections without strengthening HCBS and caregiver supports doesn't eliminate care needs — it just shifts them onto families already stretched thin.

Family caregivers are not a policy safety net. They are partners in care who deserve investment and support.

🔗 Read our statement on the DOJ opinion: https://www.caregiving.org/statement-of-the-national-alliance-for-caregiving-on-the-department-of-justice-office-of-legal-counsel-opinion-on-the-ada-integration-mandate/

🔗 Full research: caregivingintheus.org

What does it take to support the people who make transplantation possible? Family caregivers are often the constant thro...
07/24/2026

What does it take to support the people who make transplantation possible? Family caregivers are often the constant throughout the transplant journey, helping recipients prepare for transplantation, navigate recovery, and manage long-term care. Their contributions are critical, yet the resources and support available to them vary widely, creating important opportunities for learning, innovation, and collaboration across the transplant community.

Building on the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC’s) transplant caregiving research, this interactive forum will explore how transplant programs, researchers, and advocates are supporting caregivers. Participants will gain insight into the current landscape of caregiver support and learn from innovative approaches designed to address caregivers' needs throughout the transplant continuum.

The forum will create space for meaningful dialogue about challenges, gaps, and promising practices in transplant caregiving. Through live polling, facilitated discussion, and peer exchange, participants will share experiences and identify opportunities to strengthen caregiver support and inform future policy and advocacy efforts. Insights gathered through the discussion will help guide the work of NAC's Transplant Caregiving Collaborative as it seeks to improve recognition and support for transplant caregivers nationwide.

📅Aug 19, 11-12:30 PM ET
🔗https://bit.ly/4fnNR3P

Brandon is a 39-year-old truck driver in Florida. He has a wife, two kids, and a mother two years from retirement with j...
07/23/2026

Brandon is a 39-year-old truck driver in Florida. He has a wife, two kids, and a mother two years from retirement with just $112,000 saved — nowhere near enough to cover her mortgage and bills.

He suspects he's her backup plan.

Across the country, adult children are quietly stepping in to cover the gaps in their parents' retirement, often at the expense of their own savings and financial future.

National Alliance for Caregiving's President and CEO, Jason Resendez, spoke to just how widespread and costly that toll has become: "About half of family caregivers report at least one negative financial impact because of caregiving, and this hits retirement planning very acutely."

Family caregivers spend an average of $7,000 out of pocket each year, on top of the time and labor caregiving already demands.

Thank you to Business Insider and reporter Emily Stewart for shining a light on this issue.

Read the full story: 🔗 https://www.businessinsider.com/boomer-retirement-crisis-millennial-children-financial-support-2026-7

📣 ICYMI: The Senate passed the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act unanimously. Now Congress must complete the job. ...
07/22/2026

📣 ICYMI: The Senate passed the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act unanimously. Now Congress must complete the job.

The Older Americans Act (OAA) funds the programs that help older adults stay independent and safe at home: meal delivery, transportation, respite care, and caregiver support. Reauthorization keeps these programs alive on paper. Funding is what makes them real for families.

📊 Nearly half of family caregivers report a negative financial impact from caregiving, and 64% experience high emotional stress, according to our Caregiving in the US 2025 report. Families are already stretched thin. They can't afford for these programs to fall short.

The House still needs to complete reauthorization, and OAA programs need real funding to meet real demand. That only happens if enough people speak up.

Use our advocacy toolkit to contact your representatives and tell them why the Older Americans Act matters to you and your family.

📣 Take action: 🔗 https://www.caregiving.org/advocacy-toolkits/

📄 Read our full FY27 appropriations letter, outlining exactly what these programs need: 🔗https://www.caregivernationcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/NAC-Appropriations-Letter-for-FY27_FINAL_Senate_4.14.26-4.pdf

What happens when caregiving takes a toll on mental health? In a new joint blog, the National Alliance for Caregiving an...
07/20/2026

What happens when caregiving takes a toll on mental health?

In a new joint blog, the National Alliance for Caregiving and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) explore what the latest Caregiving in the US 2025 data reveals about the emotional realities of family caregiving—and why better support can't wait.

Among the findings:

📊 1 in 4 family caregivers say they feel alone, an increase from 21% in 2020.
📊 Caregivers who had no choice in taking on the role report nearly twice as many poor mental health days and are almost three times more likely to feel isolated than those who chose to become caregivers.
📊 Yet more than half of caregivers say caregiving gives them a sense of purpose.

Together, the National Alliance for Caregiving and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) CEOs examine what these findings tell us and why expanding respite care, strengthening workplace supports, investing in peer connections, and improving access to mental health care are critical to supporting family caregivers.

📖 Read more 🔗 https://www.caregivingintheus.org/stories/caring-for-the-caregiver-what-the-data-tells-us-about-mental-health-and-family-caregiving/

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