A new report from AARP highlights the growing scope and complexity of family caregiving and highlights actions needed to address the many challenges of caring for parents, spouses, and other loved ones.
The “Valuing the Invaluable” report found that in 2021, unpaid family caregivers in Virginia provided care that would have otherwise cost $14.3 billion. This is a $3.1 billion increase in unpaid contributions since the last report was released in 2019.
“Family caregivers play a vital role in Virginia’s health care system, whether they care for someone at home, coordinate home health care, or help care for someone who lives in a nursing home,” said AARP Virginia State Director Jim Dau. “The care they provide is invaluable but it’s also costly, in terms of their time, money and personal well-being.”
Virginia’s total Medicaid spending for fiscal year 2021 was about $16 billion. Medicaid is the federal/state program that provides health care coverage for low-income Virginians and pays for long-term care coverage for more than half the state’s nursing home residents.
“Virginia taxpayers owe the nearly one million family caregivers a debt of gratitude for their unpaid work keeping their loved ones out of nursing homes,” Dau said.
AARP Virginia provides resources and support to family caregivers and the loved ones who depend on them for care. A directory of resources for Virginia caregivers is available online.
“Family caregivers deserve to have the financial, emotional and social support they need,” said Dau, “because the care they provide is invaluable both to those receiving it and to their communities.”
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Crystal Graham
