Advocacy and Activism - There is a Difference

The difference between advocacy and activism is the number of people our actions affect.

• Advocacy by an individual can directly improve care for a patient



• Activism is organized public participation that can serve a group of individuals and can alter institutional and professional policies, curricula and standards of care. Our Public Policy section talks about ongoing legislation to benefit caregivers.

We all go through varying stages of emotions when our lives have been transformed by becoming a family caregiver. Research has shown there are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. All of these emotions are part of the framework, which makes up our learning to adjust and cope to our life as a family caregiver while we watch someone we love struggle with chronic illness.

On occasion some become sufficiently angry and search for ways to deal with their anger by channeling it into a constructive endeavor and caring enough to become activists for a much larger cause. Sometimes we will find the energy and passion not only to advocate for our loved one’s well-being but for all family caregivers.

Ways to Get Involved By coming to this web site you have been an advocate for yourself and your loved one. We also hope you will become an activist by speaking to others about the issues facing your family and others, and by writing or calling the leaders in your community, your state and at the federal level.

One exciting result of family caregiving activism is the National Family Medical Leave Act. This was the result of the tireless work of activists across the country. California actually went a step further and passed a bill to actually pay for family medical leave and it came about because individuals like you thought it fundamentally important to the lives of family caregivers.

Find ideas on How to Get Involved here.