Volunteering can begin with something you already enjoy
Volunteering can start with an interest and a manageable offer of time. Civic-life research prompts our reflection on clearer roles, flexible commitments and contributions shaped by the person.
Observations. Evidence. Ideas.
News & Insights
News, observations, and practical ideas for people who support care. Explore what is changing and what it means for your community.
Explore the research behind our workSearch help
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For a closer match, open More filters and choose a setting, reader role, or article type, then select Apply filters. You can also enter words and choose Find articles. Results must match every option you choose. Leave an option set to All to keep that part open.
ThemesThe ideas an article explores
An article can belong to more than one theme. Explore what each covers and why we write about it.
- Caregiving & family life Selected
- The everyday experience of giving and receiving care: family relationships, changing roles, practical support, and time for yourself. We explore what helps care fit into a full life.
- Community & belonging Selected
- Friendship, shared purpose, creativity, volunteering, and welcoming places to gather. We explore how people feel known, contribute in ways they choose, and enjoy life together, and what makes participation possible.
- Care teams & transitions Selected
- Communication, shared care plans, and changes between home, hospital, and community support. We explore what helps people stay informed and involved as care needs change.
- Leadership & operations Selected
- Supporting staff, listening to participants, coordinating programs, and sustaining services. We explore the everyday decisions that help organizations serve people well.
- Technology & responsible AI Selected
- Digital tools, accessibility, privacy, and thoughtful uses of AI. We explore where technology can help, with human relationships, choice, and judgment guiding its use.
- Policy & industry change Selected
- Changes in care policy, funding, research, and service delivery. We consider what these developments could mean for people, families, and the organizations supporting them.
SettingsCommunities and organizations
Find articles relevant to a community, care setting, or organization. These options include people and partners as well as places:
- Families, caregivers, and volunteers
- Funders and foundations
- Community centers and day programs
- Care agencies and community partners
- Health systems, providers, payors, and partners
- Device and technology companies
- Developers and product builders
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Choose a perspective that interests you. You can read from any role:
- Caregiver
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- Program manager
- Executive / CEO
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- Industry news
- Developments and findings from across care and community life.
- genus perspective
- Our interpretation of evidence, observations, and ideas.
- Practical guide
- Steps or suggestions you can put into practice.
- Company update
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Matching articles
216 articles · Page 16 of 18
Give a new colleague someone to turn to
A welcome pack cannot answer every question that appears on a first shift. Practical onboarding includes supported practice, a clear person to ask, and time to find out what is still unfamiliar.
Helping from a distance: a clear role can travel
NIA’s long-distance caregiving guidance shows that support is not limited to the people who live nearby. Our takeaway: agree on one useful responsibility, including the follow-through, before adding more messages to the local caregiver’s day.
Put the person's goal where the team can see it
A care plan can describe many tasks without explaining what the person hopes to regain or keep doing. NICE’s guidance on personalized goals invites teams to connect everyday support with a goal the person recognizes as their own.
Somewhere to spend time without having to spend money
Libraries, parks and community rooms can offer room for everyday connection. We look beyond free admission to the practical details that make spending time there possible.
When a translation changes the next step
A translated invitation may look complete before anyone has checked the action it asks a person to take. Research on translation review prompts questions about meaning, local context, and keeping approved versions current.
Whose priorities shape the service?
The 2024 Older Americans Act rule gives service leaders a reason to examine whose priorities guide a plan. Participant choice needs room in everyday arrangements, not just a place on a form.
A renewal notice needs a route to real help
Michigan’s Medicaid renewal update highlights the work behind keeping eligible people connected to coverage. A notice becomes more useful when it leads to understandable, qualified help.
Keeping companionship and shared interests in everyday care
WHO’s November 2023 commission put social connection on the global health agenda. Our perspective brings the question home: how can a care circle protect time for the interests and relationships that make someone’s day their own?
Loneliness has no single age
A January 2024 poll challenges the idea that loneliness belongs to one stage of life. We consider invitations that welcome different ages while respecting shared interests and individual preferences.
Make it easier to raise a concern
A concern helps a care team only when someone can raise it and receive a clear response. AHRQ’s CUS communication tool prompts a closer look at how staff speak up, how colleagues listen and where an unresolved question goes next.
What does this prompt really need to know?
A useful invitation often needs event details rather than anyone’s personal history. NCSC guidance prompts a practical look at choosing the approved drafting workspace and supplying only the information the task needs.