Dr. Schola Matovu | Nursing Professor | Nurse Scientist | Director of Global Learning and EngagementJune 16, 2026
What if you had just five minutes… to make someone care about something that defines millions of lives?
Because that’s exactly what advocacy looks like on Capitol Hill.
When I was invited to serve as one of seven delegates representing the State of Utah at the Caregiver Nation Summit in Washington, DC, I knew it would be meaningful. What I didn’t fully anticipate was how much weight can be carried into a single room—and how quickly it all has to be delivered.
This summit is not just another national meeting. It is the only national advocacy event dedicated entirely to the realities of 53 million family caregivers across the United States. And this year, I had the privilege of helping ensure that Utah’s caregivers—and especially grandparent-caregivers—were part of that national conversation.
But here’s what people don’t see.
Advocacy doesn’t start on Capitol Hill.
It starts long before you ever walk into those offices.
It starts in preparation—reviewing data, aligning messaging, understanding policy priorities, and asking one essential question: How do we translate real lives into something policymakers can act on in minutes?
Because once you’re there, everything moves fast.
From the House of Representatives to the Senate. From Office to office. From Conversation to conversation.
And in each one, the same reality: You have a very short window to make an issue real enough to matter.
We talked about grandparents raising grandchildren. About caregivers navigating dementia. About individuals balancing work, family, and responsibility with little formal support.
Stories that, for many, are everyday realities. Stories that rarely make it into policy conversations unless someone carries them into those rooms.
Turning Point Reflection
Some conversations felt impactful.
You could see it—in a question, in a pause, in someone leaning in just a bit longer.
Other times, you walked away unsure.
Did it land? Did they connect the numbers to the people behind them?
And often, you’re not speaking directly to lawmakers—but to staffers and young professionals, many of whom are still learning how policy is shaped.
That’s when another realization sets in:
Advocacy isn’t always about immediate change.
Sometimes, it’s about planting something that grows later.
Deeper Insight
This experience revealed something deeper.
There is often a gap between lived experience and decision-making spaces.
The people carrying the heaviest responsibilities—caregivers, families, grandparents stepping in—are not always the ones sitting at policy tables.
And yet, decisions that affect them are being made in those very rooms.
So someone has to show up. Someone has to translate. Someone has to advocate.
Closing Reflection + Call to Action
Because behind every policy… is a person.
And behind every person… is a story.
The question is: Who is carrying those stories forward?
I am deeply grateful to the University of Utah Family Caregiving Collaborative for creating this opportunity to bring those voices into spaces where they can be heard.
But this work doesn’t stop on Capitol Hill.
Advocacy doesn’t belong only to those in policy rooms.
It belongs to all of us who are willing to speak, share, and stand for the realities that are often unseen.