How to apply for National Family Caregiver Support Program (OAA Title III-E)

Who it's for

Title III-E of the Older Americans Act funds support specifically for the family members and informal caregivers who look after an older adult — not the senior, the person caring for them. Through the local Area Agency on Aging, an unpaid family caregiver (an adult child, a spouse, or another relative) of a person 60 and older can access respite care that gives them a break, individual counseling and caregiver support groups, training on safe transfers, medication management and dementia care, information and assistance navigating other programs, and limited supplemental services like consumable supplies or minor home modifications. There is no income test for the caregiver. Caregiver burnout is one of the leading reasons a senior ends up institutionalized, so this program protects both the caregiver's health and the senior's ability to stay home.

What you'll need

• Proof that the care recipient is age 60+ (driver's license, state ID, or birth certificate)
• Proof of residency
• A brief caregiver intake assessment by the local Area Agency on Aging (identifies which services — respite, counseling, training, supplemental — fit the caregiving situation)

Where to apply

Renewals

ongoing (periodic reassessment by the Area Agency on Aging)