Dawson, Walter D

AbstractBackgroundFamily caregivers are major providers of long‐term care and support for family members with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). Caregiving for a person with ADRD is a demanding role that is linked to physical, emotional, relational, and financial burden. Ensuring that ADRD caregivers are adequately supported is rapidly becoming a cornerstone of successful public health policy agendas in the United States.MethodWe conducted a review of publicly available legislation and policy briefs to identify federal policies that support ADRD caregivers, both directly and indirectly.ResultFederal policies for caregivers have evolved and increased over time, most notably through the National Family Caregiver Support Program, part of the Older Americans Act. The passage of recent legislation (e.g., the RAISE Caregiver Act and the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act) indicate a pattern of targeted investment in supporting ADRD caregivers.ConclusionGerontology research and public policy can and should intersect in order to optimize the effectiveness of policy efforts to support ADRD caregivers.