Caregiver Action Network¶
The Caregiver Action Network (CAN), formerly the National Family Caregivers Association, is a nonprofit organization that provides education, peer support, navigation help, and advocacy for family caregivers across conditions. Public caregiver guides such as the NIA handbook surface CAN as one of the practical national support resources caregivers can turn to when they need help beyond their immediate circle3.
CAN's public support model combines peer connection with practical navigation. The site highlights a National Caregiver Help Desk, community spaces, emotional support resources, financial and legal tools, and a searchable toolbox organized by condition, resource type, and caregiver role2. These layers help address a core caregiving problem: isolation rarely shows up alone, and caregivers often need both information and human connection1.
On the advocacy side, CAN also presents itself as a public-policy and workplace-support organization, with National Family Caregivers Month material, caregiver-ready workplace resources, and policy content aimed at improving the broader caregiving landscape2.
CAN does operate a public-facing National Caregiver Help Desk at (855) 227-3640, with published hours Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM ET2. Caregivers can also use caregiveraction.org to explore condition-specific guides, toolkits, community support, and caregiving resources.
The Caregiver Action Network addresses zone P1 (Social Support) through its help desk, peer community, and support resources, and zone P4 (Financial Resources) through its financial / legal tools, workplace material, and policy advocacy2. It is most relevant during the discovery and daily stages of the caregiving journey.