The National Alliance for Caregiving Calls on White House to Build the Family Caregiver Support Infrastructure
Share Article
NAC Calls Attention to the Need for a Robust National Strategy Addressing Family Caregiving as a Public Health and Economic Security Issue
We believe the Biden Administration can go a step further by calling for priorities that address our need for a robust family caregiver support infrastructure. WASHINGTON (PRWEB) April 30, 2021 The National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and its national network of family caregivers, advocates, and experts have come together in response to the recently released American Jobs Plan. As a result, NAC has issued a letter to not only thank the President and the Vice President for their recognition of family caregivers as integral members of the long-term care system, but also to provide additional considerations that would provide this unpaid workforce with t
stock.adobe.com
Despite limited data, it s estimated that there are more than three million people under the age of 18 who help care for an ill or disabled family member in the United States.
When you think of a caregiver, you typically picture an adult but the spectrum of caregivers includes youth. It’s estimated more than three million children and teens in the U.S. help care for an ill or disabled family member.
It’s most likely that this number has only grown, but data is limited by the stigma families feel and the fear they face around disclosing a child caregiver. Most young caregivers get no formal training, and care programs and services at the state and national level don’t begin until the age of 18 making resources even scarcer.
The other day I heard from someone I hadnât seen for months. He explained that he doesnât get out much anymore. His wife is ill, and he spends every day caring for her. He knows he is doing the right thing but confessed to feeling resentful at times. He mourned his lost independence.
âIsnât doing what is right supposed to feel good?â he wondered. âWhen does commitment start to be rewarding?â
He isnât alone. A recent study by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP found that 48 million Americans (nearly 1 in 5) are providing unpaid care for another adult with health or functional needs.
Richard Kyte: Caring for others is a burden and a blessing newsadvance.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newsadvance.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.