Caregivers and Family Support

Caregivers and Family Support

In the healthcare community, the word “caregiver” describes an unpaid person (typically a spouse, partner, family member, friend, or neighbor) who assists another person with daily activities and/or medical tasks. According to a 2024 RAND Corporation study, there are more than 14 million military and Veteran caregivers, nearly three-fourths of whom are caring for someone older than 60. The study revealed remarkably high burden for caregivers of post-9/11 Veterans: 84 percent experienced high levels of stress, and a third met the criteria for depression. Sixty percent reported having trouble paying bills, and 44 percent were without health insurance.

VA’s caregiving research focuses on addressing both the practical needs of those who provide essential care to Veterans, and their own health and well-being. Areas of focus include how the role impacts the lives of caregivers, unmet needs and service gaps, new training and support programs, and the implementation and impact of VA’s caregiver support programs.

Each section below is populated by a search of the HSR website. Search results are generated based on the search term "Caregiver" . Results are updated as new data are available.

Citations

(recent CAREGIVER publications)

Azar M, Kennedy KA, Clayman ML, Quach ED. Qualitative exploration of how clinicians navigate divergence in older adult and family caregiver priorities. BMC geriatrics. 2025 Dec 17 DOI: 10.1186/s12877-025-06762-3.
Oyeyemi DM, Greene EJ, Xu Y, Lee DR, Samper-Ternent R, Lichtenstein ML, Stevens A, Williamson JD, Karlamangla AS, Saliba D, Reuben DB. Self-Efficacy Change among Diverse Family Caregivers in Dementia Care. The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences. 2025 Nov 14 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbaf233.
Gonzalez JC, Garcia S, Ijadi-Maghsoodi R, Spillane J, De La Cruz SA, Lee K, Lee D, Kataoka S, Porche MV, Fortuna LR. Psychoeducation in School-Based Mental Health: Youth and Caregiver Insights for a Digital App. Child Psychiatry and Human Development. 2025 Oct 27 DOI: 10.1007/s10578-025-01918-z.
Ngo V, Leykum LK, Kalvesmaki AF, Dang S, Noël PH, Pugh MJ, Delgado RE, Bouldin ED, Parish J, Trivedi RB, Elizabeth Dole Center of Excellence for Veteran and Caregiver Research Team. Caregiver recruitment and engagement: identifying best practices and strategies for including family caregivers of veterans in health services research. BMC health services research. 2025 Oct 6; 25(1):1316, DOI: 10.1186/s12913-025-13368-3.
Applebaum AJ, Gebert RR, Manschot C, Kuhn E, Laber E, Kastrinos A, Ansah OO, Mitchell HR, Smith SK. A Pilot Study of the Cancer Distress Coach-Caregiver App: A Digital Intervention for Reducing PTSD Symptoms in HCT Caregivers. Psycho-oncology. 2025 Oct 1; 34(10):e70305, DOI: 10.1002/pon.70305.

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Publication Briefs

(recent CAREGIVER Publication Briefs )

VA-GRACE Program Effectively Supports Aging Veterans and Caregivers But Does Not Reduce Readmissions
The Geriatric Resources for Assessment and Care of Elders (GRACE) program is a collaborative, multidisciplinary care model that provides home-based geriatric care management. This study evaluated VA-GRACE from its implementation (2010) to 2020 in terms of its effect on mortality and readmissions – and examined patient, caregiver, primary care provider, and VA-GRACE staff satisfaction. Findings sho...
Date: August 29, 2022
Examining the Investment in Caring for High-Needs Patients
Since 2013, VA has invested more than $22 million in fostering and testing interventions within patient-centered medical homes at five demonstration sites to improve care for Veterans at highest risk for hospitalizations or death. In this commentary, VA authors involved in this project, known as the VA PACT Intensive Management program, reflect on lessons learned about improving care for this popu...
Date: September 10, 2021
Veteran-Directed Care Adds to Options for Medically Complex Veterans Living in the Community – Without Raising Costs
One way in which VA facilitates independence and supports caregivers is through the Veteran-Directed Care (VDC) program, part of VA’s Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care Services. VDC enables enrollees to hire family members, friends, or neighbors as paid caregivers and also provides caregiver support, including caregiver training and burden monitoring. This study evaluated the incidence of VA ...
Date: June 1, 2019
VA Experience with Implementing Intensive Primary Care Programs for Veterans at Highest Risk
This case study describes VA’s experience with implementing intensive primary care programs, as well as the program elements that appear to be necessary to meet the complex care needs of these high-risk Veterans. Findings showed that the PACT Intensive Management program (PIM) has been successfully implemented for more than three years at five demonstration sites in the VA healthcare system. The P...
Date: October 25, 2017
Impact of Comprehensive Caregiver Support Program on VA Healthcare Utilization and Cost
The Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) supports caregivers of Veterans from the post-9/11 era who need assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) or supervision or protection because of the residual effect of injuries sustained during their service. A monthly stipend is provided to caregivers based on Veterans’ care needs. In this study, investigators examined...
Date: April 1, 2017

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Studies

(recent CAREGIVER projects )

Project No.	Title	PI	Funding End
MRA0-004-24W	Optimizing Veteran Health through Evidence-based Learning Health Systems Science - Research Career Scientist Award Application	Martin, Jennifer	2032-06-30
CDA 22-192	Improving Specialty Care Through Virtual Care Models	Tisdale, Rebecca	2030-12-31
CDA 22-190	Democratically Designed Optimal Dosing Regimens To Combat Overuse	Strohbehn, Garth	2029-12-31
SDR 24-060	Home Excellence Research and Outcomes Center to Advance, Redefine and Evaluate Non-institutional Caregiving (HERO CARE)	Leykum, Luci	2029-09-30
CDA 24-112	UNderstanding and Improving Teleoncology Experience and care Delivery (UNITED)	Huang, Li-Wen	2029-07-31

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HSR Briefs, Reports, Newsletters

Perceived Benefits of Geriatric Specialty Telemedicine among Rural Veterans and Caregivers (01-02-2024)

FORUM (06-27-2023)

Investigator Quarterly (12-20-2018)

Systematic Review - Interventions to Support Caregivers or Families of Patients with TBI, PTSD, or Polytrauma (02-01-2018)

Systematic Review: Interventions to Support Caregivers or Families of Patients with TBI, PTSD, or Polytrauma (10-23-2017)

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Cyberseminars The most recent "Caregiver" seminars are displayed.
Date	Title	Presenter(s)
10/9/2024	OCC Funded Spotlight: The Many Caregiver Roles in VVC & Clinician Supported PTSD Coach in VA PC-MH Integration Programs	Gately, Megan Possemato, Kyle
6/13/2024	Using Multiple Qualitative Methods in a Multi-Year Enterprise-Wide Initiative Evaluation of the VA Medical Foster Home Program	Haverhals, Leah Manheim, Chelsea
9/19/2023	Research to the Real World: Insights from Implementation of a Caregiver Support Training Program	Decosimo, Kasey Chadduck, Trisha Van Houtven, Courtney
4/27/2023	Evaluating Implementation of a Health Literate Care Model In VHA: Outcomes and Recommendations of an HSR&D Field Advisory Meeting	Midboe, Amanda Goldstein, Michael Kimerling, Rachel Kumar, Angela Greenwood, Daniel Clayman, Marla Bowman, Sarah
2/10/2023	HSR&D National Meeting Paper Session: COVID-19	Research Community, HSR&D
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Videos

Palliative Care and Medical Foster Homes 01/02/20
Evaluating Support for Veterans’ Informal Caregivers 01/02/18

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Podcasts

There are currently no podcasts for this topic.

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Other Resources

Visit the VA Office of Research & Development’s topic information page on caregivers.
Learn more about HSR’s Elizabeth Dole Center of Excellence for Veteran and Caregiver Research.
Visit the NIH’s National Institute on Aging for additional resources for caregivers.

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Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.

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