National Family Caregivers Month, 2011

Proclamation 8748 of November 1, 2011

National Family Caregivers Month, 2011

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Across our country, millions of family members,
neighbors, and friends provide care and support for
their loved ones during times of need. With profound
compassion and selflessness, these caregivers sustain
American men, women, and children at their most
vulnerable moments, and through their devoted acts,
they exemplify the best of the American spirit. During
National Family Caregivers Month, we pay tribute to the
individuals throughout America who ensure the health
and well-being of their relatives and loved ones.

Many of our Nation's family caregivers assist seniors
and people with disabilities to help improve their
quality of life. Their efforts help deliver short-term
comfort and security, facilitate social engagement, and
help individuals stay in their homes and communities as
long as possible. This heroic work is often done while
caregivers balance other commitments to their families,
jobs, and communities. As these remarkable individuals
put their own lives on hold to tend to their family
members, it is our responsibility to ensure they do not
have to do it alone.

To ease the emotional and financial burdens that can
accompany caregiving, my Administration has striven to
support family caregivers for the crucial role they
perform. Vice President Joe Biden's Middle Class Task
Force has focused on the importance or investing in
respite care, counseling, and training for individuals
who serve aging Americans. These initiatives would give
family caregivers a leg up as they continue to support
their aging loved ones.

One of our Nation's greatest responsibilities is to
ensure our veterans, their families, and their
caregivers receive lasting and comprehensive support.
Last year, I signed the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus
Health Services Act, which helps fulfill this
obligation by extending additional assistance to family
members who care for severely wounded veterans from
Iraq and Afghanistan. Our military caregivers exemplify
the heroism found not only on the fields of battle, but
also in the hearts of those who tend to our wounded
warriors when they come home.

As we observe National Family Caregivers Month, we
honor the tireless compassion of Americans who heal,
comfort, and support our injured, our elders, and
people with disabilities. This month and throughout the
year, let the quiet perseverance of our family
caregivers remind us of the decency and kindness to
which we can all aspire.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim November 2011 as
National Family Caregivers Month. I encourage all
Americans to pay tribute to those who provide for the
health and well-being of their family members, friends,
and neighbors.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
first day of November, in the year of our Lord two
thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.