Report Highlights Caregivers’ Needs

Nearly half of Delawareans 35 and older are providing or have provided unpaid care for loved ones—and it is no secret to them that caregiving is harder, more complicated and more costly now than at any other time.

That’s the conclusion of a report by the Delaware Family Caregiving Task Force, which was cochaired by former AARP state president Jeanne Nutter. As the population ages, more people will be called on to serve as caregivers, and the medical tasks can be complicated.

After conducting six listening sessions across the state, the task force recommended that legislators pass the Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act, which would require hospitals to show caregivers how to perform follow-up care when a patient goes home. It also recommended tax credits for caregiving expenses and allowing nurses to delegate more tasks to trained, in-home health care workers.

To read the report, go to aarp.org/de.