CAREGIVING IS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE: ROAD MAP REVISIONS

Caregiving is an important public health issue that has not received adequate attention. Older adults with a cognitive impairment, overtime, increasingly need the assistance of caregivers. The Alzheimer’s Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Alzheimer’s Disease and Healthy Aging Program, The Healthy Brain Initiative: The Public Health Road Map for State and National Partnerships, 2013–2018 (HBI RM), recognized the value of caregivers, but included only a few action items specific to this group of essential care providers. In the newly released 3rd Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map (3rd HBI RM), there is increased emphasis on caregiving. Of the 25-item Action Agenda, 17 relate to caregivers or their role. This presentation will describe how public health can be instrumental in acknowledging and supporting these unpaid caregivers, particularly those who provide care for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias within the context of 3rd HBI RM.