Event Recap: The Power of Caregivers for a Healthy America

On November 18, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Administration for Community Living (ACL) hosted The Power of Caregivers for a Healthy America: Building a Better Future Together, a national event recognizing the nation's more than 63 million family caregivers and over 5 million direct care workers whose dedication helps people live independently and strengthens communities across the country.

"Caregivers are the foundation of America's health care system. Without them, our hospitals, our nursing homes, our clinics, would collapse from excess demand," said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. at the event.

The program honored their essential contributions and highlighted the ongoing need for investment in caregiver supports, training, and efforts to reduce stress.

In addition to the HHS Secretary, the event featured remarks from Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins, Senator Shelley Moore Capito, and Representative Mike Bost; firsthand stories from family caregivers and direct care workers; and the announcement of a new prize competition to advance innovations to support caregivers. Collectively, the speakers emphasized that family caregivers and the direct care workforce form the backbone of the nation's long-term services and supports system, helping people remain in their homes and communities. Find highlights from their remarks below.

Speakers (in order of appearance)

Each speaker's name links to the point in the HHS livestream recordingwhere their remarks begin.

Mary Lazare,the principal deputy administrator serving as the senior official performing the duties of the ACL administrator and assistant secretary for aging, delivered opening remarks that emphasized the impact of caregivers and direct support professionals.

Lily Liu,a family caregiver, shared her experience providing support to her parents, the resources she has accessed to help her parents and herself, and the barriers caregivers face when seeking assistance.

Nicholas Smithspoke about his experiences as a direct support professional working with individuals with intellectual disabilities, as well as the current challenges and shortage in the direct care workforce.

Jason Resendez,president and CEO of the National Alliance for Caregiving, discussed the necessity of systemic investment in caregiving and the direct care workforce to ensure a better quality of life for older adults and people with disabilities.

Barbara Merrill,CEO of the American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR), discussed the challenges of recruiting and retaining direct support professionals, as well as ANCOR's initiatives to support them.

Kelly Lambtold her story of being a caregiver to her husband and accessing information and resources through the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, where she now works as the director of Team Reeve Endurance.

Jeanne Goldy-Sanitateshared her experiences as an athlete in adaptive sports and as a person with a disability accessing care through Veterans Affairs programs.

Wendy Fox-Grage,senior director at the National Association for State Health Policy, spoke about the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers and the RAISE Act Family Caregivers Center.

Ramsey Alwin,CEO of the National Council on Aging (NCOA), described the innovations that NCOA is supporting to help mitigate the direct care workforce crisis, such as working with managed care organizations to collect critical data about the workforce.

Congressman Mike Bostfrom Illinois shared his personal connection to veterans' issues, having come from a family of U.S. Marines, and emphasized his dedication to improving the supports and services offered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Senator Shelley Moore Capitofrom West Virginia spoke about her personal experience with being a caregiver to her parents and how she's working to support caregivers as a U.S. senator, including co-chairing the Assisting Caregivers Today Caucus.

Secretary Douglas Collinsof the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs discussed how he plans to improve VA services, such as through the implementation of the Dole Act, to better support veterans in need.

Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the launch of the Caregiver AI Challenge,a national competition designed to spark innovation and identify the next generation of tools that empower caregivers.

Visit ACL's Support to Caregivers Page