What It Costs to Invest in
Family Caregivers
The cost of doing nothing is measured in millions. The cost of doing something is surprisingly affordable — and the return is extraordinary.
Every community already pays for caregiving disconnection — in lost spending, reduced workforce productivity, higher healthcare costs, and emergency response burden. The question isn't whether to invest. It's whether to invest wisely, or keep paying the hidden cost.
Three targeted programs — Family Emergency Planning sessions, professional coaching with a Certified Caregiving Consultant™, and a services grant — can meaningfully change the caregiving experience for family caregivers in any community. Together, they cost less than $1,000 per family caregiver.
Compare that to what communities lose when family caregivers go without support. Then decide. Use the Community Impact Calculator to see the cost of doing nothing for your community first.
A Framework for Investing in Family Caregivers
Each program addresses a distinct dimension of the caregiving experience — preparedness, professional support, and practical resources. Together they form a complete investment in family caregiver well-being.
Annual community sessions led by a Certified Caregiving Consultant™ help families create written emergency plans before a crisis strikes — protecting vulnerable carees, reducing emergency response burden, and strengthening community resilience.
$5 per participant · Facilitated by a CCC · Try our interactive planning tool → · Free monthly sessions at Caring Our Way
Five one-on-one coaching calls with a Certified Caregiving Consultant™ help family caregivers resolve care challenges, reduce stress, navigate difficult decisions, and integrate their own well-being into their days.
$70 per call · Delivered virtually · Addresses The Six Caregiving Stages™ and The 19 Caregiving Systems™
A flexible grant that family caregivers direct toward the services they need most — home care, supplies and equipment, adult day services, respite care, or other community programs that reduce their daily burden.
Family caregiver directed · Flows directly into local economy · Supports local service providers
These Programs Work — and We Can Prove It
Every investment case needs evidence. Here's ours.
An NPS of 67 places Family Emergency Planning sessions well above average for educational programs. Participants don't just complete them — they recommend them. That means organic community spread and lasting household preparedness.
Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (JAMDA) demonstrates that working with a Certified Caregiving Consultant™ decreases stress and increases quality of life — for both the family caregiver and the caree. This is the evidence base that makes the coaching investment defensible to any funder, health system, or employer.
Model Your Community's Investment
Adjust the inputs to reflect your community. Select which programs to include. See the total investment — and how it compares to the cost of doing nothing.
Community Caregiving Investment Calculator
Your default population is set to 100,000 — adjust to match your community. Select which programs to fund.
Investment vs. economic loss
Investment breakdown by program
Why This Investment Makes Sense for You
The same three programs deliver distinct, measurable value depending on your role in the community.
Ready to make the case in your community?
Train a Certified Caregiving Consultant™ to deliver these programs — or bring Denise M. Brown to your organization for a live "How Will We Care?" presentation.
"The question isn't whether communities can afford to invest in family caregivers. It's whether they can afford not to."
— Denise M. Brown, The Caregiving Years Training Academy
