Tailored Caregiver Assessment and Referral (TCARE)

Produced by the Administration for Community Living

Tailored Caregiver Assessment and Referral (TCARE) is a care management protocol designed to support family members who are providing care to adults, of any age, with chronic or acute health conditions. TCARE is grounded in the Caregiver Identity Theory, which conceptualizes caregiving as a series of transitions that result from changes in the caregiving context and in personal norms that are grounded in familial roles and culture. A major tenet of the theory is that identity discrepancy, defined as a disparity between a caregiver’s behavior and his or her identity standards, or personal norms, is a major source of caregiver stress. Identity discrepancy can be manifested in three domains of burden (objective burden, relationship burden, and stress burden) and in depression.