Abstract
Purpose
This commentary examines the growing burden on family caregivers in the United States and argues for the strategic integration of community health workers (CHWs) into caregiver support models as a practical, equity-centered solution.
Major Findings
Family caregivers provide the majority of long-term care in the United States, but receive limited formal support despite escalating care demands and increasing complexity. As caregiving continues shifting into community and home settings, CHWs are uniquely positioned to address this gap through care navigation, coordination, education, and culturally responsive support. Emerging evidence and recent policy developments, including expanded Medicaid coverage and new Medicare reimbursement pathways, present concrete opportunities to integrate CHWs into family caregiver support frameworks, although early uptake of the new reimbursement codes remains limited and workforce capacity constraints must be addressed.
Conclusions
Integrating CHWs into family caregiver support models represents a practical, equity-centered approach to strengthening community-based care and improving health system resilience. Advancing this workforce integration, with attention to scalability, training, supervision, safety, gender equity, and sustainable reimbursement, could meaningfully expand caregiver capacity, reduce disparities, and support a more cohesive and responsive healthcare system.