The Health of Family Care Partners: A Public Health Priority

Webinar Information:

Live Session: September 10, 2021 at 10am PST. Recording to follow.


Informal or unpaid care partners (family members or friends) are the backbone of care and support provided in people’s own homes. While many aspects of family care partnering can be positive and rewarding, it can also place an individual at increased risk for negative health consequences such as stress, depression, difficulty maintaining a healthy lifestyle, worse self-reported physical health, and even compromised immune function and risk of early death. This session explores the issue of family care partnering within the context of dementia from a public health perspective, highlighting a variety of proactive approaches family care partners can take to protect and promote their own health and well-being. Public health professionals have a strong role to play in promoting positive care partner practices and in driving structural changes that support effective, sustained care partnerships at home.   


Public Health Perspectives is a free online webinar series designed to showcase programs impacting public health. PHP discusses program design, lessons learned, and creative solutions with public health professionals around the nation. Each PHP webinar takes approximately 1-hour to complete. 

PHP Webinars are hosted live on the second Friday of each month at 10am PST.  

To join the live session, please enroll in the course before 10am PST on the day of the webinar. All PHP sessions are recorded. If you enroll after the live webinar session has ended, the course will contain a video recording of the live session you can watch instead. Please note, it may take up to one month for the recording to become available.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the webinar, participants will be able to:

  1.  Raise awareness about the health of family care partners as a public health priority 
  2. Learn about a variety of proactive approaches family care partners can take to protect their own health and well-being 
  3. Consider the role of public health professionals can play in promoting positive care partner practices and in driving structural changes that support effective, sustained care partnerships at home

Target Audience:

  • Public health professionals
  • Community members 
  • Students

Duration: ~ 1 hour 

Continuing Education: N/A

Speaker: Jennifer Carson, PhD, Director, Dementia Engagement, Education, and Research (DEER) Program, School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Reno 


About the Speaker

Jennifer Carson, PhD, a gerontologist, is the Director of the Dementia Engagement, Education, and Research (DEER) Program in the School of Public Health at the University of Nevada, Reno.  Her career and scholarship encompass gerontology, dementia, long-term care, culture change, and leisure and aging. She has a strong commitment to partnerships and participatory approaches to research and practice and works to improve the inclusion and well-being of persons living with dementia. Dr. Carson is the Project Director of the Dementia Friendly Nevada initiative and the author and facilitator of Bravo Zulu: Achieving Excellence in Relationship-Centered Dementia Care, a comprehensive, 12-hour dementia education program developed in partnership with the Nevada Department of Veterans Services. She also partners with the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine’s Sanford Center for Aging on a U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program grant.


Course Content

  1. 01

    • Download Calendar Reminder

    • PHP Webinar Welcome

    • Demographic Survey

    • Webinar Description and Presenter Bios

    • Webinar Replay

    • Course Evaluation

    • Save the Date for Next Month's PHP

    • Handouts

This webinar is sponsored by: