National Family Caregivers Month, 2013

Proclamation 9053 of October 31, 2013

National Family Caregivers Month, 2013

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Across our country, more than 60 million Americans take
up the selfless and unheralded work of delivering care
to seniors or people with disabilities or illnesses.
The role they play in our healthcare system is one we
must recognize and support. During National Family
Caregivers Month, we thank these tireless heroes for
the long, challenging work they perform behind closed
doors and without fanfare every day, and we recommit to
ensuring the well-being of their loved ones and of the
caregivers themselves.

Under the Affordable Care Act, patients and caregivers
can benefit from a new Medicare pilot program that
helps beneficiaries negotiate the transition from
hospital to home. And through new Medicaid options,
States can expand access to home and community-based
services. With caregivers already balancing their own
needs with those of their loved ones, and in many cases
caring for both young children and aging parents, our
Nation's caregivers need and deserve our support. With
this in mind, local agencies work to connect
individuals with options including adult day care,
respite care, training programs, and caregiver support
groups--all shaped with the understanding that the
generous women and men who take the health of their
loved ones into their hands should not suffer from the
toll caregiving can take.

There is no one to whom America owes more than our ill
and injured service members and veterans, and while
many offer kindness and assistance, it is the
caregivers who truly sustain our wounded warriors as
they work toward rehabilitation or recovery. In 2010, I
was proud to sign the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus
Health Services Act, which provides the caregivers of
our seriously injured post-9/11 veterans with training,
counseling, supportive services, and living stipends.
Under this law, injured veterans' family caregivers
also receive access to health care.

Just as our loved ones celebrate with us in our moments
of triumph, American families strengthen the fabric of
our Nation by lifting each other up in the face of
life's greatest challenges. And as Americans put their
loved ones before themselves, we must offer our
appreciation and flexibility, in our healthcare system,
our workplaces, and our communities. This month, as we
reflect on the generosity, grace, and strength of
family caregivers, we renew our commitment to matching
their dedication to the health and wellness of families
across our country.

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 2013 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
thirty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord
two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
eighth.