Why We Honor Our Caregivers

Designed by Magnific

Ca Care Association has been working towards achieving its mission and vision of preserving and developing care programs for California’s most vulnerable residents. At the heart of this field, caregivers and care providers are at the forefront of providing person-centered care.

The Caregiver Hero in the Community Award by Ca Care Association is an initiative to recognize the contributions that care providers have made towards improving the overall well-being of an individual. The award is open to three categories for nomination: caregivers, residential care facility, and caregiver advocate. 

Purpose of the Award

Data show the evolving landscape of caregiving in the United States, with 63 million caregivers recorded in 2025. Caregivers have become increasingly diverse across generation, income, and race. Over 40% caregivers provide high-intensity care, and one in five caregivers report poor health. 

The tasks caregivers perform are no easy feat. It requires skills, perseverance, and patience. As they say, the highest form of love is caring for another individual. While caregiving is a fulfilling job, the difficulties caregivers face are more often than not hidden behind closed doors. The stress, lack of support, inadequate opportunities, and the heavy financial burden. 

Caregivers

There are two types of older adult care, formal and informal. Formal care is the paid care provided by medically trained individuals or medical institutions. Informal care is unpaid care provided by family, relatives, friends, and neighbors. Study shows that caregiver burden is higher for informal care than for formal care. 

June Yasuhara, who took care of both her parents with dementia, shared with the University of California San Francisco CARE her experience of caregiving:

“. . .I am currently caring for them, for both my parents. I have the same Japanese student that lived with them for a bit come 3 times a week for a couple [of] hours a day to give my parents some outside socialization. I brought an Echo Show so my sister’s children can “drop in” online and play piano, do exercises, or read to them. My parents greet the Yu Ai Kai delivery van and see Bob the food deliverer along with some other seniors who are waiting for their food as well. My sister comes occasionally to give some hours of relief to me.

The biggest challenge is not the physical part of my time, but it's the emotional part. It’s very difficult to see your parents at this state of reliance. . .”

Residential Care Facilities

Residential care facilities provide care and support for elderly people who need help with their daily living activities, such as bathing, brushing teeth, walking, getting ready for bed, and eating meals. Through these facilities, care recipients receive the safety, security, and supervision they need.

Caregiver Advocates

Caregiver advocates are the voice of the caregivers in fighting for policy change, resources, and awareness. 

Wendy, a retired social work supervisor, felt alone in caregiving for her son diagnosed with brain tumor. She then created the Facebook group Parents of Kids with Medulloblastoma to advocate for caregivers who needed support and connected with other caregivers. 

Marg Helgenberger, American actress, participated in the lobby day on Capitol Hill to influence Congress to take action on behalf of the nation’s 48 million unpaid family caregiver. 

These stories show the grit and perseverance in providing care for an individual.

To nominate your Caregiver Hero, answer the nomination form here.