Uniting The World Through Family Caregiving
Family caregivers or carers are people dedicated to serving in the vital role of an unpaid person who cares for another. These people are truly the backbones of the world’s healthcare systems, no matter which name is used. For the purpose of this Alliance, we shall use the term Family Caregivers.
In the U.S.A., a 2020 study conducted by the National Alliance for Caregiving and the American Association of Retired People determined that there were approximately 53 million family caregivers. Further, the study noted that the economic value of the work done by these people was over $600 billion U.S. dollars annually. Extrapolating this economic value to the estimated 1.6 billion family caregivers worldwide, it can be conservatively estimated that the value of the work done by family caregivers is $18.1 trillion U.S. dollars.
In recognizing the vast number of family caregivers worldwide and the value of their work, the Caregiver Coalition Fund of America (CareCFA) has been dedicated in the U.S.A. to bringing into focus the “three-legged stool” of health care. In this model, the three legs of the stool represent the care-recipients, professional caregivers, and family caregivers, respectively. It has been the goal of CareCFA to assist in providing synergy between the “legs of the stool” through the establishment of programs and support services. It has also been the goal of CareCFA to strengthen the interrelationships between the “three legs of the healthcare stool;” especially between the professional caregivers and the family caregivers for the benefit of the care-recipients.
Through the efforts of Rev. Gregory Johnson (senior advisor to CareCFA’s president and CEO) who is recognized as one of the premier leaders in the field of family caregiving, CareCFA is launching an international division: The International Alliance of Family Caregivers. Based on Rev. Johnson’s recent leadership involving The Sahaja Foundation located in Bali, Indonesia, a family caregiving initiative was launched that emphasized family caregiving as the UNITING FACTOR within this entity between healthcare organizations and institutions; thus providing additional strength between the “three legs of the healthcare stool.” The outcomes from this initiative have resulted in significant success and the interest of other nations.
The core element of this initiative is to invite professional caregivers from the medical, mental health, and social services arenas to join forces across institutional lines to include family caregivers in the healthcare equation; thus adding the greatest resources the world has – ITS HUMAN CAPITAL.
Despite the lack of technology, electricity, finances, and other needs, these alliance members are creating healthcare literacy, education, providing jobs, and encouraging government participation. These professionals are integrating family caregiving into their vision, services, and protocols while teaching people how to care, to find services for their care-recipients, and how to be a vital part of the “three-legged Health Care Stool” as FAMILY CAREGIVERS SERVING AS AN EQUAL PARTNER. It is PEOPLE CARING FOR PEOPLE while giving respect and honor to cultural and local traditions.
Finally, in all of CareCFA’s efforts, we remain dedicated to two key principles:
- Keeping Caregivers as Caregivers; not creating more care-recipients.
- Uniting the world in family caregiving.