If you aren’t a family caregiver, you no doubt know one (or more). That’s because some 40 million people in America wear that hat, caring for their parents, spouses, and others once they get home from a hospital.

That’s why AARP developed the Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act, implemented so far in 40 states. The law improves support for family caregivers, in part by providing information and instruction on how to do complex medical tasks often required at home, such as giving an injection or caring for a wound.

These tasks are often mysterious and even scary for the caregivers who must perform them. Nurses play a vital role in helping caregivers learn to do these tasks safely and effectively. Many nurses provide this guidance to family caregivers already, but the CARE Act makes the essential instruction a requirement for hospitals.

In this short video, Susan C. Reinhard, PhD, RN, FAAN, senior vice president and director, AARP Public Policy Institute and chief strategist, Center to Champion Nursing in America, explains the CARE Act, and shows how nurses are doing their part to give caregivers the knowledge and ability to do what’s needed to care for people at home.