Engaging Family Caregivers: CTM in Healthcare
Aug 17, 2025
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Education & Resources
“The doctor’s appointment lasted 15 minutes — but for Maria, caring for her husband with dementia, the hard part began the moment they walked out the door.”
Every day in Los Angeles County, thousands of family caregivers — especially those supporting a loved one with memory loss — are on the front lines, managing medications, appointments, meals, and moments of confusion. Too often, they do this with no training, little guidance, and minimal support from the healthcare system.
Early-career healthcare professionals rarely receive training to recognize and fully engage with family caregivers, despite the critical role they play in daily care —and the emotional, physical, and financial toll caregiving can take.
To help close this gap, the USC Family Caregiver Resource Center, with generous funding from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s Healthy Brain Initiative, created Conversations That Matter (CTM) — a first-of-its-kind training toolkit for early-career healthcare professionals.
CTM shines a light on the often-overlooked family caregiver, equipping healthcare teams with practical conversation strategies to engage them empathetically and effectively — whether it’s gently offering resources, encouraging self-care without judgment, or simply acknowledging the effort they give every day. Even brief, thoughtful interactions can foster trust, plant the seeds for future support, and shift a caregiver’s experience from isolation to connection. By recognizing caregivers’ needs and equipping healthcare teams with skills to respond, CTM bridges a long-standing gap in dementia care.
The toolkit includes five short modules, designed for easy use on phones, tablets, and computers — ensuring healthcare teams can access them anytime, anywhere.
By providing clear, accessible training, Conversations That Matter helps early-career healthcare professionals recognize the vital role of family caregivers, strengthen support for patients, improve caregivers’ quality of life, and foster a more compassionate, connected healthcare system for the entire family.
**If you’d like to learn more about this free toolkit please contact fcscgero@usc.edu
