For us, practice and education are important means of minimizing the challenges of individuals and family care giving. However, it is also our role as policy advocates, researchers and program developers, to effect the larger systems that impact family care givers’ and co-workers’ lives.
We draw on our knowledge of policy, legislative strategies, leadership, and organizational dynamics to become active change agents. We serve family caregivers in this regard in these ways:
We play a role to inform and advise policymakers and government agencies, as well as health-specific and caregiver organizations, on legislation and policies that can assist family caregivers including community-based supports, respite care and faith-based initiatives.
We design and implement assessment tools to measure the impact of those policies and initiatives.
We develop and oversee interprofessional prevention and intervention programs that aid family caregivers, as well as their loved ones with health problems or disability. We conduct empirical studies of these programs to demonstrate their efficacy.