
Contributor: A Call for Culturally Sensitive Caregiver Research Frameworks

As we prepare for a future with more caregivers and more complex patient needs, let’s commit to valuing the care that happens outside hospitals just as much as the care within them.
“Put the daal in the microwave, the one with the cilantro. And pack a few kaju barfi too, not the saffron ones.” I was frantically helping my mom prepare food, clothes, and my dad’s meds for yet another ICU admission. Though we were both anxious about the infection afflicting my dad, an immunosuppressed kidney transplant recipient, my mom seemed equally concerned with making sure he had a home-cooked Indian meal.
This act of care would never appear in my father’s medical chart alongside the care provided by nurses and physicians. That lentil soup and cashew fudge, however, were as vital to my father’s healing as any IV drips and antibiotics. And yet, the labor performed by informal caregivers is continually undervalued in our health systems.
Across the US, more than
While researchers have begun to quantify some of the direct economic impacts of caregiving, including
For immigrant families like mine, caregiving can look like navigating health care systems in a second language, preparing culturally appropriate meals that aid recovery, and shielding elders from stigmatized diagnoses like dementia. As a result, the emotional and economic burdens also differ by community.
As we prepare for a future with more caregivers and more complex patient needs, let’s commit to valuing the care that happens outside hospitals just as much as the care within them.
In other words, let’s build a research agenda that values the cilantro in the daal as much as the dosage of any medicine.
References
- Whitehead M, Lee Y. Listening to informal caregivers: outstanding challenges and needs. United States of Care. September 19, 2022. Accessed July 25, 2025.
https://unitedstatesofcare.org/listening-to-informal-caregivers-outstanding-challenges-and-needs/ - Uncovering the true cost of healthcare: the economic realities of caregiving. Workshop 3 learning report. Center for Innovation & Value Research. May 2025. Accessed July 25, 2025.
https://valueresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/PCEI-Workshop-3-Learning-Report_FINAL.pdf - Li Verdugo J, Oh HY, Jang Y. Mental health of Asian American caregivers of family members with severe mental illness. Psychiatr Serv. 2023;74(10):1100-1103. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.20220535
- Meyer K, Mage SM, Gonzalez A, et al. Lessons from a pilot study of a culturally tailored financial well-being intervention among Latino family caregivers. J Appl Gerontol. 2025;44(6):938-948. doi:10.1177/07334648241293524
Newsletter
Stay ahead of policy, cost, and value—subscribe to AJMC for expert insights at the intersection of clinical care and health economics.