What Family Caregivers Need to Know About Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine

• Family caregivers, also called informal caregivers, perform similar tasks as nurses and healthcare professionals, but it’s often unclear whether they’ve been prioritized to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
• Many states have specific criteria caregivers have to meet to be eligible.
• In certain areas, you may be required to obtain documentation from the patient or their healthcare team stating your duties as a caregiver.

Family caregivers have put their lives on the line during the pandemic by providing care for older or disabled people who depend on them for daily assistance with personal care and medical needs.

Family caregivers, also called informal caregivers, perform similar tasks as nurses and healthcare professionals, but it’s often unclear whether they’ve been prioritized to receive the shot.

Terri Harvath, PhD, RN, the director of the Family Caregiving Institute at University of California Davis and president of the Gerontological Society of America, says that “when we also protect the family caregiver, we are protecting our older, at-risk patients.”

But most states haven’t prioritized family caregivers for the vaccine, and only a few states, Oregon and Massachusetts, are allowing paid and unpaid caregivers to get the shot.

These states often have specific criteria caregivers have to meet to be eligible.

California announced that family members of people with certain conditions — including Down syndrome, epilepsy, and cerebral palsy — are eligible.