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Report: Many more people in Wyoming and the U.S. are family caregivers

An old woman sitting in a wheelchair squeezes someone's hand.
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About 70% of working-age caregivers in the U.S. also work at paid jobs, according to a new AARP report.

Roughly 58,000 Wyomingites and 63 million Americans provide ongoing care to adults or children with medical conditions or disabilities, which a new report found is a 45% increase since 2015.

Experts called the jump, paired with a lack of resources, an “escalating national crisis.” The new report from AARP showed the average caregiver spends 27 hours per week on caregiving tasks.

Myechia Minter-Jordan, CEO of AARP, noted caregiving can affect a person's finances, as well as their physical and mental health.

"We need systems that see caregivers, value them and support them," Minter-Jordan urged. "Because they are not just helping families, they are holding up our entire health care system."

Minter-Jordan pointed out AARP is advocating for a national paid family and medical leave policy, workplace protections for caregivers, federal tax credits and access to respite care, training and support services.

The report showed just 11% of caregivers have been trained for basic tasks.

Jason Resendez, CEO of the National Alliance for Caregiving, said he’s seeing “unprecedented complexity” in caregiving.

"Beyond daily care, over half of family caregivers – that's more than 30 million Americans – are performing complex medical and nursing tasks that once primarily took place in clinics and hospitals," Resendez emphasized.

He added just over one in five caregivers who administer injections, manage catheters and use other medical equipment have received training to do so. To help, AARP has developed online resources for caregivers.

Kathleen Shannon
Kathleen Shannon aka "Killa Kath" is a volunteer DJ, news reporter, and one of the hosts for All Things Considered and KDNK's Local Newscast.

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