News

4 different scenarios showing with text bubbles that caregiving happens all the time.
November 10, 2022

November is National Family Caregivers Month!

This November, we're joining with the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Caregiver Action Network (CAN), and many other organizations to celebrate National Family Caregivers Month.

Cover of the report - in the background in shades of blue is a Black couple; the woman is pushing the man in his wheelchair and they're smiling at each other. The text overlay reads: "National Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Family Support (NCFS) Caregiver Profile: A Closer Look at Spousal Caregivers"
July 18, 2022

Inaugural Pitt report finds spousal caregivers with disabilities face poverty, health issues – identifies gaps for policy support

An inaugural white paper from our Center found that spousal caregivers with disabilities face a litany of complications while trying to tend to aging or ailing spouses and partners: health problems, mental health difficulties, work issues, even financial and healthcare strains.

The stage of the AOTF conference. Three white women are on stage, with two in the center with the award and one off to the side.
April 4, 2022

Congratulations to Dr. Beth Fields!

Congratulations to Dr. Beth Fields, who received the American Occupational Therapy Foundation Early-Career Research Excellence Award. This award recognizes and supports investigators who are contributing and have promise to advance knowledge in the field of occupational therapy. We're so proud to have her and her work as part of our center!

December 8, 2021

New Health Affairs Blog Post

A recent Health Affairs blog post from Everette James and Meredith Hughes discusses the need to make spousal impoverishment protections for Medicaid permanent. Spousal impoverishment protections help keep a spouse from having to spend down and impoverish themselves in order for the other spouse to qualify for long-term services and supports.

December 6, 2021

Dr. Richard Schulz Named as Caregiving World Expert by Expertscape

Congratulations to NCFS researcher Dr. Richard Schulz, who was recently named a World Expert in caregivers by Expertscape. According to their PubMed based algorithm, Dr. Schulz was placed in the top 0.1% of scholars writing about caregivers in the last 10 years. We're honored to have him on our team!

Screenshot of the title card of the webinar recording, with the presentation title of "Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Caregivers during the COVID-19 Pandemic"
October 27, 2021

Recording Available for Webinar on Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Caregivers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

NCFS co-directors Dr. Scott Beach and Dr. Heidi Donovan recently presented a webinar on social isolation and loneliness among caregivers during the pandemic in conjunction with the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. You can view a recording of the webinar, and view the full, four part series on social isolation and loneliness that the webinar was part of.

A woman wearing a fabric mask with brown curly hair is typing on her laptop.
October 27, 2021

Study featured in Special Issue of Annals of Behavioral Medicine

This study, in the October 2021 Special Issue of Annals of Behavioral Medicine, examines supporters' own diabetes distress and how that is associated with self-management and outcomes for the person with diabetes. The study finds that while people with disabilities with high levels of distress report receiving assistance from their supporters with specifically medical tasks, they did not report receiving assistance with healthy lifestyle behaviors.

Back of a person wearing a blue t-shirt that says "Pitt Be a Good Neighbor"
October 25, 2021

"Crisis of Care" News Series

NCFS researchers talked with The Keystone to share their thoughts on the current status and future of caregiving.

August 23, 2021

New Article Published by NCFS Researchers

Center researchers recently published in Health and Social Care in the Community with their findings around the considerations of involving care partners in the CAPABLE program.
A older women smiling with a smaller child seated on her lap in a chair, she teaches the child how to knit with pink yarn
June 24, 2021

Issue No. 1 - Family Caregiving

We are proud to announce the release of the first edition of the Official Policy Newsletter for the National Center on Family Support (NCFS).
A gentleman wearing an orange shirt standing with a walker outside
June 8, 2021

CAPABLE in The New York Times!

We’re so excited to see The New York Times highlighting CAPABLE, a program that helps older adults age in place in their homes! You can read the article, and learn more about our Center’s CAPABLE research.
A woman wearing a short-sleeved olive green shirt having he shoulder stretched by a gentleman wearing teal scrubs
June 8, 2021

Statement on Unpaid Caregiver Inclusion in COVID-19 Vaccine Prioritization

The NCFS has been closely following the COVID-19 vaccination rollout for unpaid family caregivers. We’ve issued a full statement regarding this.
A gentleman with various tattoos getting a vaccine by a health care professional wearing a paper gown
June 8, 2021

Tracking Unpaid Caregiver Vaccine Eligibility

We’re now tracking the eligibility of unpaid caregivers across the US for receiving the COVID vaccine, and will be updating this information weekly!
Two pairs of hands holding each other
June 8, 2021

Unpaid Caregivers Eligible for COVID Vaccine

Unpaid caregivers of individuals who are elderly or have a disability, and who receive services through a PA Department of Human Services program, are now eligible to receive their COVID vaccine. Read more now.
A woman wearing a yellow top and tan pants holding a phone between her ear and her shoulder while she positions food in her lap with one hand while she propels the wheelchair with the other
June 8, 2021

Briefing Report: Households with Multiple Persons with Disability in Pennsylvania

While there are many detailed reports on disability in the United States, very little attention has been paid to households with multiple persons with disabilities. The Center has published a briefing report about this underrepresented group.