Celebrating Caregiver Recognition and Its Momentum

National Caregiver Day is FEBRUARY 16, 2024

National Caregivers Day honors the nearly 60 million paid and unpaid individuals nationwide who selflessly provide personal care and physical and emotional support to others to help them remain as healthy, happy, and independent as possible.

Origin of the day

Caregivers aren't just in the healthcare sector, although each provides myriad forms of healthcare to those they care for. Caregivers are under-appreciated and often underpaid, and for 53 million family caregivers - not paid at all. For this reason, the Providers Association for Home Health & Hospice Agencies (PAHHHA) established the third Friday in February as National Caregivers Day in 2015, which was first celebrated in 2016.

What to do for a caregiver on this day

• Start by simply saying, "Thank you." Sometimes a heartfelt thank you is enough.

• Write them a thoughtful note or get them a nice card and, if possible, mail it to them.

• Give them a gift that is meaningful or practical and personal to them.

• Take on one or more of their responsibilities - clean their home, fix their family a meal (or some that they can freeze), transport kids, walk their dog, wash and detail their car, etc.

• Offer to help them or give them a break. Better yet, give them the day off. Step in and provide care yourself or pay for in-home care for their loved one.

*Note that while not all of these can be offered to a paid professional caregiver, the top three can (gifts should be under $25 and not in the form of cash).

Helpful believes the special kindness, patience, and very hard work of caregivers should be celebrated year-round, of course. However, their importance must be especially honored on National Caregivers Day. A day when we should be there for them just as they are there for our loved ones.

Momentum for caregiver support

• Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act (2016)

  • Passed in 42 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands

  • If the CARE Act has passed in your state, download a CARE Act wallet card, courtesy of AARP, for you and your loved one to place next to insurance cards.

• Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act (2018)

  • RAISE and the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (SGRG) Act (2018) jointly initiated the 2022 National Strategy to Support Caregivers (2022).

• American Rescue Plan Act (2021) & Build Back Better Act (2021)

  • American Families Plan

  • American Jobs Plan

• Biden Administration Executive Order on Increasing Access to High-Quality Care and Supporting Caregivers (2023)

• GUIDE Model (coming July 2024)

Your state may also offer additional support programs and services for caregivers that you can take advantage of today.