Address National Family Caregiver Support Program Jeanette C. Takamura, Assistant Secretary for Aging in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will address the National Council on the Aging's 1999 Vital Aging Conference in San Diego, Calif. on April 18. Dr. Takamura, who heads the Administration on Aging, will discuss the National Family Caregiver Support Program proposal, describing policy issues that it addresses, and the opportunities it presents for serving family caregivers of older Americans. The Assistant Secretary will highlight the key role family caregivers play in the lives of their relatives, and the importance of quality care in providing critical support that can sustain caregivers in their roles.
Family members are the major providers of long term care in the United States.
Additionally, almost three-fourths of caregivers are women, many who are older themselves or are employed full time and juggle multiple responsibilities including running households and parenting children. The Administration on Aging is the only Federal agency dedicated exclusively to policy development, planning and the delivery of supportive home and community-based services to older persons and their caregivers through the national aging network of state and local agencies on aging, tribal organizations, service providers, and volunteers.