AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer Nancy LeaMond issued the following statement in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ final rule that would, among other components, allow health care professionals to be paid solely for time spent training family caregivers.

AARP strongly supports new bipartisan legislation, the Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act, which would make it easier for family caregivers to navigate key health care programs.

AARP’s new Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Scorecard finds that more than three years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, care provided in the United States for older adults and people with disabilities is painfully inadequate. The report finds that major gaps persist in every state, especially related to support for family caregivers, the long-term care workforce, equity in nursing homes, and emergency preparedness.

Voters across the country want Congress to address family caregiving issues, according to a new AARP poll.

AARP applauds today’s Executive Order recognizing the need to make family caregivers a national priority to meet the rapidly growing needs of families across America. Family caregivers are the indispensable backbone of our health and long-term care system, help their loved ones live at home, and they are exhausted.