Leveraging Social Media to Raise Awareness for Family Caregivers
The RAISE Family Caregiving Act, passed in 2018, aims to Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage family caregivers. A key finding from the “Initial Report to Congress” was that individuals who do not self-identify as a caregiver may not be aware of available resources. The #MyRoleCounts toolkit aims to improve public awareness of informal caregiving and help individuals more readily self-identify as family caregivers.
“Raising awareness about caregivers is especially important as the aging population is growing and caregivers continue to be the backbone of support for Medicare beneficiaries,” explained Livanta Executive Director Lance Coss. As a Beneficiary and Family Centered Care - Quality Improvement Organization (BFCC-QIO), Livanta’s services are available to Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers.
For many people, being a caregiver consumes so much of their daily lives that they may not even associate what they do with the act of caregiving. Other individuals may downplay or minimize the significance of their caregiving support for a family member or other older adult. Additionally, some people believe that they must reserve the title of “caregiver” for those with formal training. In some families, individuals have cultural beliefs that inhibit them from perceiving their role of caregiver as separate from their familial relationship, which may prevent them from seeking resources.
The RAISE Family Caregiving Advisory Council published its landmark report to Congress in September 2021. The report noted that, in addition to individuals being unaware of caregiver resources, a lack of self-identification makes it hard for researchers to study the nation’s caregivers. Inaccurate or incomplete caregiver data can lead to gaps in knowledge and policy.
With the specialized aim of helping individuals recognize themselves as caregivers, Livanta’s social media toolkit emphasizes the various tasks that caregivers may undertake. Such tasks include picking up and delivering groceries, providing transportation to doctors’ appointments or the pharmacy, assisting with personal care, or helping with household duties. The innovative design of Livanta’s toolkit leverages the power of social media to educate the public about the important role that family caregivers play.
#MyRoleCounts is a comprehensive social medial toolkit containing 18 graphics and several recommended postings and hashtags that, when combined, work toward the goal of raising awareness about family caregivers. The toolkit uses simple, plain language. Vibrant graphics and eye-catching colors engage social media audiences. Users can download toolkit items from Livanta’s BFCC-QIO website and post them to various social media platforms. The toolkit is also available in Spanish.
Livanta promotes the toolkit and the unique hashtag across its social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Livanta also is sharing the toolkit with external partners and stakeholders. All individuals and organizations are encouraged to use the toolkit items to help raise awareness of the significance of family caregivers’ roles.
Click the following link to read more about Livanta’s social media toolkit or download the files: https://LivantaQIO.com/en/About/Connect