[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 48 (Monday, December 1, 1997)]
[Pages 1898-1899]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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Proclamation 7055--National Family Caregivers Week, 1997

November 22, 1997

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    During this season of thanksgiving, when we reflect on the many 
blessings that have been bestowed on us as individuals and as a Nation, 
we are especially grateful for the love of our families and friends. One 
of the most profound ways in which that love is expressed is through the 
generous support provided by caregivers to those who need help if they 
are to remain in their homes and communities.
    Caregivers reflect family and community life at its best. Thanks to 
their efforts, Americans with disabilities and a growing number of 
elderly Americans are able to stay in familiar surroundings and to 
maintain their dignity and independence. Caregivers not only enhance the 
quality of life for those they serve, but also greatly reduce the 
demands on the formal system of caregiving services in our Nation.
    The statistics describing caregivers in America today tell an 
extraordinary story of generosity and compassion. Nearly one in four 
households is involved in caring for a relative or other loved one in 
need, providing a range of assistance from personal care to household 
help to transportation. Thirty percent of caregivers are caring for two 
or more people, and 64 percent hold down jobs while providing such care. 
Caregivers share not only their time, but also their resources, spending 
some $2 billion a month of their own assets for groceries, medicine, and 
other aid.
    There is another side to caregiving in America today. Many older 
relatives now take care of children whose parents, for whatever reason, 
are no longer able to provide that care themselves. These generous men 
and women, who in many cases have already raised families and are 
looking forward to pursuing their own interests in retirement, embrace 
the challenges of parenting a new generation of young people. They give 
millions of our most vulnerable youth the opportunity to grow up in 
stable, loving homes.
    These everyday heroes among us deserve our lasting gratitude and 
respect. This week, as we honor the many contributions that family 
caregivers make to the quality of our national life, let us resolve to 
work through our community, religious, social, business, and other 
organizations to offer programs and

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services that will provide caregivers the support and encouragement they 
need to carry out their vital responsibilities.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the 
Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 
23 through November 29, 1997, as National Family Caregivers Week. I call 
upon Government officials, businesses, communities, educators, 
volunteers, and all the people of the United States to acknowledge the 
invaluable efforts of caregivers this week and throughout the year.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-second 
day of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-
seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two 
hundred and twenty-second.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:55 a.m., November 24, 
1997]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on 
November 25.