The Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act is a 2018 law that directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a national family caregiving strategy. The strategy will identify actions that communities, providers, government and others are taking and may take to recognize and support family caregivers, It includes:
- Promoting greater adoption of person- and family-centered care in all health care and long-term service and support settings, with the person and the family caregiver at the center of care teams.
- Assessment and service planning (including care transitions and coordination) involving care recipients and family caregivers.
- Information, education, training supports, referral and care coordination.
- Respite options.
- Financial security and workplace issues.
Deeper dive
More than 53 million people provide a broad range of assistance to support the health, quality of life and independence of a person close to them who needs assistance as they age or due to a disability or chronic health condition, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Specific data for each state is available from the Family Caregiver Alliance. Family caregiving is rewarding, but can be challenging, especially if caregivers do not receive needed support. HHS estimates that about $522 billion in income is lost annually due to family caregiving. When unpaid caregivers can no longer provide support, the only option is to place loved ones in a nursing home or other institutional setting, with most or all of the cost borne by taxpayers. HHS Secretary Becerra issued the first report, detailing 26 recommendations to provide financial and other assistance to caregivers in 2021.
The strategy is slated for updates every two years. The updates are based on public input, along with the ongoing guidance of the advisory councils and communities, states and tribes, and federal agencies that are developing, implementing and adapting policies and programs to support family caregivers.