0 National Alliance for Caregiving Comments on “Building Bridges: Informal Caregivers” Gail Gibson Hunt National Alliance for Caregiving Colloquium – June 7, 2008

1 National Alliance for Caregiving Additional Research Recommendations  How do we overcome lack of caregiver self-ID?  How much "dosage" is required to make an intervention effective?  What are the macro-workforce implications of caregiving, including return to workforce?  What is the extent of intergenerational transfers in their different forms?  What does caregiving look like across the life-course (longitudinal over 3-4 generations as well as ethnic)?  What factors sustain, support and enhance the quality of family caregiving?  How do we better understand the relationship between family caregivers and paid caregivers?

2 National Alliance for Caregiving Additional Funding Recommendations  Double the National Family Caregiver Support Program funding and expand across the lifespan  Offer all caregiver services either free or on a sliding scale (for middle class)  Expand Dependent Care Accounts to include not just co-resident and financially dependent care recipients  Develop appropriate training opportunities (not just "direct" caregivers to them)  Consider Social Security tax credits for caregivers who leave the workforce