Letter: Celebrate unsung heroes: Family caregivers

November was National Family Caregivers Month when we celebrate these unsung heroes. It is also a time to elevate the voices of America’s 53 million family caregivers.

These family caregivers contribute a staggering $600 billion in unpaid labor to the U.S. economy each year.

Unfortunately, the contributions of this essential health care workforce go mostly unrecognized.

According to “Caregiving in the U.S. 2020″ – a report from the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, family caregivers weekly average 24 hours of care, while balancing jobs or struggling with overwhelming medical debt. Unpaid caregivers represent every race, gender, age, income and education level.

As a society, we need to recognize the challenges caregivers face and prioritize funding an infrastructure that supports the essential role unpaid caregivers play in our communities.

We call on Congress to reauthorize the Older Americans Act, which supports 12 million older adults and 800,000 caregivers each year across the U.S.

In Springfield, we call on the governor and the legislature to preserve family caregiver funding for Caregiver Resource Centers and the Illinois Area Agencies on Aging.

We need more employers to provide paid family and medical leave benefits so working caregivers can care for loved ones without incurring financial hardship. We also encourage them to offer training so managers create a more supportive culture for working family caregivers as they juggle many responsibilities.

Together, we can change the narrative to improve the lives of family caregivers and their loved ones.

Sincerely,

Amy Brennan

Executive Director, Illinois Family Caregiver Coalition