Nearly 63 million Americans—almost 1 in 4 U.S. adults—provide unpaid care to a family member or friend with a complex medical condition or disability. Caregivers of adults alone provide an estimated 49.5 billion hours of unpaid care each year, valued at more than $1 trillion. This care is a critical extension of the health care and long-term care systems, helping individuals manage medications, medical and personal care needs, transportation, and daily activities while remaining in their homes and communities (AARP & National Alliance for Caregiving, 2025; AARP, 2026).
This essential care comes at a significant cost to caregivers. Nearly half experience negative financial consequences, while many report high emotional stress and poorer health. CDC data show caregivers have worse outcomes than noncaregivers on the majority of health indicators studied, including higher rates of depression and several chronic conditions (CDC, 2024). Health systems depend on caregivers to help sustain care outside of clinical settings; supporting the health, skills, and resilience of caregivers should therefore be viewed not only as support for families, but as an important component of patient care and health-system strategy.
In an August 21, 2026 email from The Center for the Advancement of Palliative Care (CAPC), they announced resources for organizations who are interested in supporting caregivers. Their first resource is “The Case for Caregiver Support: Better Outcomes for People and Organizations” a publication that outlines why caregiver support is a critical component of high-quality serious illness care and makes the case that health care organizations should establish formal caregiver support programs to make a difference in both patient outcomes and health care spending.
They also have a Care Giver Support Program Implementation toolkit. It provide resources to help hospitals and other health care organizations design, launch and grow evidence-based, financially sustainable caregiver support programs. The toolkit includes:
- Strategies to help program leaders make a compelling care for investing in caregiver support services within their organization
- Resources to guide the design, launch, and growth of an evidence-based caregiver support program for those caring for people living with serious illness
- Tools to ensure the financial sustainability of organization-based caregiver support programs
- Courses and resources to help clinicians build the skills needed to support caregiver well-being
- Thought leadership pieces and clinical capacity building tools to strengthen caregiver support programs.
Finally, they offer clinical training to support caregiver well-being which will help clinicians who care for people with serious illness to recognize caregiver distress and provide meaningful guidance to support caregivers.
South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations (SDAHO) is a proud member of the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), the nation’s leading resource dedicated to increasing the availability of quality health care for people living with a serious illness. CAPC is offering a 15% discounted membership rate to SDAHO members. CAPC members receive exclusive access to technical assistance and clinical training through a robust online course curriculum with free continuing education credits; call-in consulting with national experts in the palliative care field; hundreds of ready-to-use tools and resources; webinars on common topics; and a vibrant, collaborative community of health care professionals working with people living with a serious illness. One CAPC membership provides an organization’s entire staff with full access to CAPC training, tools, and expert resources. Learn more at capc.org or contact the CAPC membership team at membership@capc.org or 626-599-3730.
- AARP, & National Alliance for Caregiving. (2025). Caregiving in the U.S. 2025. Caregiving in the U.S. 2025
- AARP Public Policy Institute. (2026). Valuing the invaluable 2026 update: Strengthening supports for family caregivers. AARP Valuing the Invaluable 2026 Update
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Health-related behaviors by urban-rural county classification—United States, 2021. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 73(34), 739–744. CDC MMWR caregiver health report
