Massachusetts Implementation of National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers - The Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs, in partnership with the Department of Developmental Services and Executive Office of Health and Human Services, is seeking an Advancing State Implementation of the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers grant from the Administration for Community Living. Massachusetts will develop a body of knowledge to support policy development focused on caregiver support to provide solutions for family caregivers through the achievement of the following objectives: 1) Assemble a Workgroup that includes subject matter experts at all state-level health and human service agencies to identify priorities for caregivers and barriers to access and drive solutions; 2) Support and evaluate replicable interventions to reduce caregiver burden and isolation and to improve emotional and economic well-being of caregivers; 3) Update, distribute, host, and maintain a guide to resources for information and referral (I&R) specialists for caregivers; and 4) Analyze BRFSS Caregiver Module data and findings from Subgrant projects to inform policy change. Grant activity in support of these objectives will help achieve the following outcomes: 1) Increased awareness among policy makers, consumers, providers, and stakeholders surrounding priorities and barriers to access for caregivers and service organizations; 2) A working body of data on replicable, scalable, and cost-effective services for caregivers to inform direction on future caregiver policy and allocation of resources; 3) Greater capacity of Massachusetts’ network of I&R specialists to refer caregivers to services and supports; and 4) Findings from analysis of BRFSS data and Subgrant results. Products will include a report detailing caregiver priorities and a crosswalk of resources for I&R professionals.
