As the number of people living with Alzheimer's and other dementia grows, so, too, will the need for caregiving. Much of this is unpaid caregiving from family and friends. This can take a toll on caregivers' health, well-being and productivity — and place a growing burden on communities. This is particularly the case for dementia caregiving, which often entails prolonged and intensive assistance.

Communities face a growing challenge to:

• Improve knowledge and awareness among caregivers.
• Ensure universal availability and access to needed services and supports.
• Minimize fragmentation and inadequate coordination of care.
• Fill gaps that preclude equity in caregiving.

To learn more of what public health can do, see:

• Promoting Caregiving Across the Full Community: The Role for Public Health Strategists Action Brief (PDF).
• Supporting Caregivers Issue Map (PDF).

State-level and aggregated data on dementia caregiving from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System is available to inform public health action.

Dementia risk factors in caregivers