Enhancing caregiver access: utah's no wrong door approach - the family caregiving collaborative at the university of utah, in partnership with the utah caregiver roundtable (comprised of nearly 50 key…

Enhancing caregiver access: utah's no wrong door approach - the family caregiving collaborative at the university of utah, in partnership with the utah caregiver roundtable (comprised of nearly 50 key stakeholders and administered by caregiver support program, utah department of health and human services) will lead a coordinated statewide effort to inventory and curate the types of supports and resources available to utah caregivers of all ages and across all diseases and disabilities. Our project is called "no wrong door" (NWD) for utah caregivers. NWD strategies are transforming the ways that people are accessing services in our community, by empowering individuals to make informed decisions and exercise control over their long term care needs. Nearly one in five american adults are currently caregivers to persons who are aging, living with disability, or managing chronic health conditions. These individual are critical to the delivery and management the long tern services and support (LTSS) in america, yet they often feel overwhelmed, unprepared, and unsupported in this role. They need support and often desire assistance to help them meet the challenges of this role, yet do not know where or how to access services or resources to support them in their caregiving role. The goal of this project is to increase awareness about services and supports available to family caregivers in utah. The objectives are to:1) facilitate communication and collaboration among caregiving-related community-based organizations in utah; 2) improve awareness of the resources and supports that are needed by and available to utah family caregivers; 3) streamline access to caregiver resources through creation and dissemination of statewide NWD products. Anticipated outcomes include: 1) caregivers and professionals will have greater awareness of available caregiver supports and resources; 2) there will be increased referral and competency among professionals in community-based organizations to match caregivers to these services and supports; 3) caregivers and professionals will feel more empowered, supported, and trained after exposure to NWD products and events; 4) a sustainability plan will ensure that resources and partnerships will be maintained after funding ends. Our NWD system will include the following products: a single comprehensive website that curates caregiving related resources, programs, supports, training, and services; 3-4 professional videos that can be shared across many online platforms; 2 caregiver simulations for public awareness; 10-12 fireside chats for caregiver education and workforce education; marketing and outreach toolkit to help organizations disseminate information about resources to caregivers in the community, and 3 in-person and 1 online caregiver conferences. By bringing together caregiving-related organizations across utah and by systematically breaking down barriers and enhancing awareness of the resources and services that are available to support caregivers in utah, this project recognizes the essential (though often unsupported and almost always unpaid) role that family caregivers play in the delivery and management of long term services and supports for persons - of all ages and with all disabilities - living in our community.