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Policy and advocacy for informal caregivers: How state policy influenced a community initiative

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Abstract

With a growing proportion of elderly in the global population, the role of ‘informal caregivers’ gains importance. Informal caregivers are unpaid family members or friends who provide assistance to home-dwelling adults with health-related needs or limitations. Internationally, informal caregivers provide important medical support to those with a variety of diseases. While informal caregivers will remain vital to the growing aging population’s pursuit of healthy aging, they often suffer from ‘caregiver burnout,’ a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by their caregiving work. Policy and legislation are needed to diminish the burden on caregivers and to help assure that resources are allocated for these caregivers. We describe an initiative aimed at providing appropriate social support for caregivers by partnering among local organizations, hospitals, and health authorities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medicine for the Greater Good, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, 4940 Eastern Avenue, 3rd Floor, Center Tower, Mason F Lord Building, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA

    Panagis Galiatsatos & Amelia Gurley

  2. Division of Geriatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    W. Daniel Hale

Authors
  1. Panagis Galiatsatos
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  2. Amelia Gurley
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  3. W. Daniel Hale
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Correspondence to Panagis Galiatsatos.

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Galiatsatos, P., Gurley, A. & Daniel Hale, W. Policy and advocacy for informal caregivers: How state policy influenced a community initiative. J Public Health Pol 38, 503–508 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-017-0084-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-017-0084-x

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