Table 2.
Outcomes by policies examined in the academic literature
| Outcomes | Success for caregivers (Yes/No)1 |
|---|---|
| National Family Caregiver Support Program [23–28] | |
| General | |
| Eligibility requirements do not allow the availability of services to the majority of caregivers in need (Litzelman, 2022) | No |
| No consistent, standardized outcome evaluations exist to examine the program’s impact on caregivers and care recipients (Shugrue, 2019) | No |
| Negative association of policy and unused services (Potter, 2018) | Yes |
| No association between funding and all services used (Potter, 2018) | No |
| A state’s history of supporting caregivers as both service recipients and providers predicts the likelihood of more counseling, support groups, and training delivery (Giunta, 2010) | Yesa |
| Caregiver financial assistance in the US falls short compared to other countries (Whittier, 2005) | No |
| Multiple forms of caregiver service delivery in existence (Whittier, 2005) | Yes |
| Equity-related | |
| Caregivers of Black and Hispanic older adults were more likely to report any unused services (Potter, 2018) | No |
| Hispanic caregivers reported that 43.4% of care recipients received fewer hours of respite care than their estimated need, compared with 32.2% of African Americans and 28.4% of Whites (Herrera, 2013) | No |
| Hispanic caregivers were less likely to report that supportive services were paid for by the care recipient or other family members (Herrera, 2013) | Yes |
| Volume of caregiver and other support services used, receiving amount of hours of respite care based on need, and living independently due to benefits were not the same across races (Herrera, 2013) | No |
| When comparing the risk profile of caregivers receiving policy-related services to the general population of seniors, services are reaching the most vulnerable populations according to most risk factors for institutionalization, such as disability, Medicaid coverage, and living alone (Herrera, 2013) | Yes |
| Caregiver service gaps not closed. (Service gaps most frequently identified included culturally and linguistically appropriate caregiver services, transportation, respite care, financial assistance, and services in rural areas.) (Whittier, 2005) | No |
| There was overrepresentation of high-risk subsets of caregivers, including low-income caregivers, among those deemed ineligible for benefits (Whittier, 2005) | No |
| Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 (Caregiver Support Line) [30] | |
| General | |
| High caller satisfaction (Wright, 2015) | Yes |
| High utilization rates (Wright, 2015) | Yes |
| Equity-related | |
| Use in rural areas is proportional to the number of veterans living in rural areas (Wright, 2015) | Yes |
| California’s Family Rights Act (Paid Leave Law) [31] | |
| General | |
| No effects on caregiver mental or physical health (Gimm, 2016) | No |
aFinding helps understanding of successful caregiver policy implementation
1Yes/No success for caregivers refers to the authors appraisal of the included studies reported outcomes for caregivers and if they positively benefited caregivers