WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a $2 million Caregiver Artificial Intelligence (AI) Prize Competition to support the one in four Americans serving as caregivers for older adults and people with disabilities.
The HHS said this initiative through the Administration for Community Living (ACL) recognizes the millions of caregivers who support aging relatives and loved ones with disabilities. Their compassion and commitment form the backbone of America’s long-term care system, helping older adults and people with disabilities live with dignity and independence at home and in their communities.
"America’s caregivers carry our nation’s most vulnerable on their shoulders, and they do it with a strength and devotion that rarely gets the recognition it deserves,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “With the Caregiver AI Challenge, we are advancing the goals of the Make America Healthy Again Strategy Report by mobilizing innovation to lighten caregivers’ load and ensure every family has the support they need to care for the people they love.”
To strengthen support for family caregivers and sustain the network that helps prevent the health care system from shouldering the full burden of care, HHS is investing in AI solutions. The AI prize competition will fund and recognize innovators developing tools that:
- Support caregivers—including family, friends and the direct care workforce—in providing safe, person-centered care at home.
- Support employers by improving efficiency, scheduling and training in the caregiving workforce.
These tools aim to educate, assist and reduce administrative strain so caregivers can focus on their own well-being and the people they care for.
The prize competition builds on existing efforts by HHS and ACL to support family caregivers and direct care workers, including the National Family Caregiver Support Program, the Lifespan Respite Care Program, National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers, RAISE Family Caregiving Advisory Council, Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and the Direct Care Workforce Strategies Center.
“Through this prize competition, we aim to identify technologies that empower caregivers and expand access to high-quality care at home,” said Mary Lazare, acting administration for community living administrator and assistant secretary for aging. “ACL is committed to advancing scalable, practical solutions that improve the lives of the millions of Americans who give and receive care every day.”