[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 45 (Monday, November 13, 2000)]
[Pages 2801-2802]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7370--National Family Caregivers Month, 2000

November 5, 2000

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    All Americans owe a debt of gratitude to the family caregivers among 
us--the generous, compassionate individuals who daily face the challenge 
of caring for loved ones who are frail, chronically ill, or living with 
disabilities that restrict their independence. These everyday heroes, 
living quietly among us in families and communities across the country, 
are the major source of long-term

[[Page 2802]]

care in America. By providing billions of dollars' worth of caregiving 
services each year, they dramatically reduce the demands on our Nation's 
health care system and make an extraordinary contribution to the quality 
of life of their loved ones.
    Caregivers often pay an emotional and physical price as well as a 
financial one. Few enjoy any free time because they must juggle the 
demands of home and work while meeting the special needs of the 
individuals in their care. Many do not have the support of other family 
members or friends and consequently experience depression, a sense of 
isolation, and the stress of knowing they must carry out their important 
duties alone. Studies have indicated that such caregiver stress can have 
a physical consequence, contributing to a higher mortality rate among 
elderly caregivers who themselves have a history of chronic illness.
    But caregivers should not have to face their challenges alone, and 
my Administration has worked hard to ensure that they will not have to 
do so. I am pleased that the Congress has finally passed the Older 
Americans Act Amendments of 2000, which will strengthen and improve the 
services available to senior citizens in every State, from home-
delivered meals to transportation services to legal assistance. This 
legislation also includes authorization for our new National Family 
Caregiver Support Program, which will provide quality respite care and 
other support services to hundreds of thousands of families who are 
struggling to care for loved ones.
    The Long-Term Care Security Act that I signed into law in September 
authorizes the Office of Personnel Management to negotiate with private 
insurers to offer more affordable, high-quality, long-term care 
insurance policies to Federal employees, retirees, and their families. 
This initiative will help some 13 million Americans better prepare for 
the future and ease the fear of having to deplete their life savings to 
care for a loved one.
    We must also help families who need long-term care assistance right 
now. I continue to call on the Congress to provide a $3,000 tax credit 
for the millions of Americans with long-term care needs and the families 
who care for them. Passage of a new, voluntary Medicare prescription 
drug benefit would also go a long way toward easing the financial burden 
on family caregivers.
    Caregiving touches us all, either within our own families or within 
our communities. As we observe National Family Caregivers Month, let us 
thank the millions of devoted men and women across our Nation who enable 
our loved ones who are frail, chronically ill, or living with 
disabilities to live in dignity in the warmth and familiarity of home.
    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 
2000 as National Family Caregivers Month. I call upon all Americans to 
acknowledge and honor the contributions of caregivers to the quality of 
our national life.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of 
November, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence 
of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth.
                                            William J. Clinton

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., November 7, 
2000]

 Note:  This proclamation was released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on November 6, and it was published in the  Federal Register  
on November 8.