With support from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (Blue Cross) and the Mass Caregiving Initiative at the MassTech Collaborative, ARCHANGELS, a start-up dedicated to assisting unpaid caregivers, launched the Any Care Counts campaign, which aims to raise awareness and support for unpaid caregivers across the Commonwealth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 43% of adults in the United States provide unpaid care to others.
- Awareness: The cooperation will raise awareness for this important but often unseen role, which disproportionately affects the most vulnerable groups and can have major mental health implications. The purpose of the Any Care Counts campaign is to raise awareness about the impact of unpaid caring on the Commonwealth and to link more people in this situation to available solutions.
- Access: ARCHANGELS will provide free access to its Caregiver Intensity IndexTM, an online exam that assesses the intensity drivers that many caregivers face on a daily basis, such as family arguments and financial stress, which can contribute to mental health issues. Caregivers will earn their own ‘Caregiver Intensity Score’ after completing this two-minute assessment, indicating whether they are ‘in the green,’ ‘yellow,’ or red,’ as well as which four factors are driving and alleviating that intensity.
- Support systems: Caregivers can also access existing Commonwealth support systems in their localities, including mental health support and home care services, right away. A gift will be provided to an organization that supports unpaid caregivers in Massachusetts for each caregiver who receives their Intensity Score. Each caregiver will be able to make a donation in memory or honor of a loved one.
- Campaign: To increase awareness about unpaid caregiving, this campaign will first be shared with Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts employees, but it will also be shared with other Massachusetts employers and community organizations. The Mass Caregiving Initiative at MassTech will support the Any Care Counts Campaign with a grant to help with campaign promotion, outreach, and awareness.
- Multi-platform: The Any Care Counts campaign will begin as a multi-platform campaign to reach caregivers via e-mail and social media ads. Several employers and community leaders have also committed their support for the initiative, helping to recognize and support the more than one million unpaid caregivers across the Commonwealth.