Kentucky: A Portrait of Care

Connie from Kentucky recently quit her job in order to stay at home and care for her mother.  Her mother is blind, wears two hearing aids and recently broke a leg and hip and suffers from deteriorating knee ligaments. She wears a leg brace from her waist to her shoe. Connie says, “I wish that there were more resources for stay at home caregivers. I work 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Sure I get tired. I also… feel very blessed and honored to be able to care for this lovely woman of whom I am proud to call “Mom”

Connie isn’t alone.  Nearly 650,000 Kentuckians perform a labor of love every day caring for older parents, spouses, and other loved ones. Each year, they spend  603 million hours helping with bathing and dressing, meals, chores, transportation and more – like complex medical tasks including wound care, giving injections, and complicated medication management. This unpaid care is valued at about $7 billion a year. But we know this care is invaluable.

AARP believes family caregiver stories aren’t celebrated nearly enough.

As we fight for commonsense solutions to support family caregivers – like help at home, workplace flexibility, training and more – we think it’s time the world got a better picture of just what it means to be you.

To honor and recognize family caregivers all around the country, AARP will randomly select one caregiver from each of the 53 U.S. states and territories to receive a Portrait of Care, an artist’s painting of you and your loved one.

Share your story and photo with us at aarp.org/iheartcaregivers

Watch to learn more about Portraits of Care: 

 

If you are a family caregiver, you’re not alone.

• Find the tools and support you need, as well as ways to connect with other caregivers at aarp.org/caregiving.
• See the stories behind Portraits of Care, and share your own story and photo with us at aarp.org/iheartcaregivers.