Categorizing national caregiver recommendations to support family caregivers and address unmet needs.

BACKGROUND: Recognizing family caregivers as vital providers of long-term assistance to loved ones with chronic illness, several national organizations developed recommendations to improve support for family caregivers. PURPOSE: This article categorizes these recommendations to advance family-centered nursing practice, develop health policies, and advocate for family caregiver support. METHODS: Six reports of caregiver recommendations published in the United States from 2016 to 2021 were analyzed using thematic analysis. FINDINGS: The 108 recommendations were organized into five categories: policy; caregiver assessment and support; health professional practices; public awareness; advance care planning. DISCUSSION: Ensuring economic security, establishing a national data collection strategy, addressing caregivers' diverse needs, improving access to health care and support services, and increasing public awareness were highlighted. CONCLUSION: The recommendations provide a roadmap for nurses at all levels of practice to advocate for a national agenda to develop, fund, and implement inclusive health care policies and interventions to address unmet caregiver needs and maximize support.

Novel model to teach health care delivery in geriatrics.

Introducing health policy to interprofessional graduate students, anchoring health policy to older adult health needs, while conveying how current policy issues will affect their individual careers is challenging, yet essential, for health profession education. This novel program integrated graduate level health profession learners from medicine, nurse practitioner, pharmacy, psychology, social work, physical therapy and occupational therapy disciplines. The aim was to embed health policy into an existing interprofessional (IP) geriatrics course at an academic medical center. Selection of disciplines was based on prior collaborative work and faculty interest. The objectives were to 1. Introduce current health policies that affect older adults; 2. Understand the effects of health policy and social determinants of health on the older adults in their future practice; 3. Challenge learners to apply their knowledge and develop health advocacy strategies for older adults; and 4) Teach the importance of teamwork in interprofessional practice within a geriatric population.The health policy curriculum impacted 487 learners for 12 sessions over three years. Four themes emerged with the sessions: health policy awareness, interprofessional appreciation, patient care "pearls," and pharmacological considerations in geriatrics. Each of the eight modules generated thoughtful recommendations by the learners, providing a glimpse into future workforce priorities.