Family, Relationships & Caregiving

Families carry a great deal of health care themselves: the weeks after a birth, the rules around a child's phone, the conversation nobody wants to start about a parent who needs more help, the paperwork that lets a relative be paid to provide care. These guides offer practical structure for those moments: checklists, conversation plans and plain explanations of the programs that exist. They do not label relationships or diagnose anyone, and they point to professional and crisis help where it is needed.

What this area covers

Pregnancy, fertility & postpartum life. A practical postpartum support checklist for the household: who does what in the first weeks, and which warning signs need a call right away.

Parenting, children & teens. How to make a family media and screen-time plan that the whole household can follow.

Relationships, communication & safety. How to prepare for a difficult conversation about caregiving, including who should be part of it and what to prepare beforehand.

Aging, disability & family caregiving. How California's In-Home Supportive Services program can pay a family member to provide care.

Pets & family wellbeing. How to keep people healthy around pets, especially babies, older adults and anyone with a weakened immune system.

Start here

• A practical postpartum support checklist for the household
• How to prepare for a difficult conversation about caregiving, with a caregiving conversation planning worksheet

From the patient education library

• Advance Care Planning: Making Your Healthcare Wishes Known
• Caregiver Participation in Medical Care: A Guide for Patients and Families
• Understanding and Managing Caregiver Stress
• When to Seek Urgent Mental-Health Assistance

Where this connects

Family caregiving runs on public programs as much as on goodwill: Medi-Cal, postpartum coverage, paid family leave and in-home support. The policy library's Medi-Cal in Plain Language explains eligibility and coverage, and the Work, Careers & Education area covers the leave laws that let family members take time off.