Florida Congresswoman Kathy Castor Discusses Family Caregiving During AARP Forum on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Members of Congress, including U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, joined leaders from the employer, health care, venture funding, entrepreneurial, and consumer advocacy communities today for a discussion on the challenges facing—and potential solutions for—the 40 million Americans who provide care for their parents, spouses/partners, and other loved ones. The “Forum on Family Caregiving: Perspectives from Policymakers and Thought Leaders” was convened by AARP as part of its ongoing work to support family caregivers.

“Just a few years ago, taking care of a loved one used to be just an experience that millions of people went through, silently, too often on their own,” said AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins. “Today, however, caregiving is increasingly recognized as an important issue that political leaders,  employers, and others must address so that people can provide their loved ones with needed care while also meeting their own responsibilities on the job and at home.”

The forum was bookended by conversations with and remarks by federal lawmakers about promising developments on Capitol Hill. During and after a panel moderated by Washington Post personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary, the four co-chairs of the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Assisting Caregivers Today (ACT) Caucus—U.S. Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) and U.S. Representatives Diane Black (R-TN) and Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM)—discussed family caregiving and the work of the ACT Caucus.

Later, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), along with U.S. Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL), spoke about their Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act, which would require the development and maintenance of an integrated national strategy to recognize and support family caregivers. U.S. Representative Gregg Harper (R-MS) is the lead sponsor of this bipartisan bill in the House.

Rep. Kathy Castor said, "With almost 3 million caregivers in my home state of Florida and millions more across the country, there is a need to come together as a country to better understand the needs of caregivers. I am proud to introduce the RAISE Family Caregivers Act in the U.S. House of Representatives to create and maintain a much-needed National Family Caregiving Strategy with recommendations by experts related to support services, training, workplace policies and others to better support caregivers. I look forward to working closely with AARP on this legislation as we have done in the past to improve the lives of our seniors and their families."

“If you’re not a family caregiver now, you likely will be or will need one someday,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer. “This is an issue that will impact everyone and requires solutions that involve everyone. The support that family caregivers need will not come exclusively from one particular sector or political party; it will involve all of us.”

The caregiving forum also looked beyond the beltway to discuss how both the public and private sectors are adapting to meet the needs of family caregivers and the loved ones they care for. Erika Ross, Senior Vice President, Health, Wellness and Life Management at Bank of America, spoke about her company’s robust benefits program for caregivers, which includes back-up care, professional care management, and elder law resources for employees. Sherwin Sheik, President and CEO of Carelinx, and John Hopper, Chief Investment Officer of Ziegler Link-Age Longevity Fund, highlighted the growth, trends, and opportunities in the market to provide care and support for family caregivers. Dr. Patricia O’Keefe, Interim President of Atlantic Health System (NJ), discussed the ways the health system is incorporating family caregivers into their care planning. Jen Mishory, Executive Director of the Young Invincibles, addressed family caregiving from the Millennial perspective, while Marty Ford, Senior Executive Officer, Public Policy for The Arc, discussed various programs to support people who are caring for loved ones with disabilities.

AARP’s Florida state director, Jeff Johnson, said, “We’re working in Washington and across this nation to devise public and private solutions that would help family and other caregivers. In Florida, AARP has fought for better state support for families providing care for frail loved ones.  It’s very important to recognize that, if taxpayers had to absorb the responsibilities that families provide out of love, that would amount of $17-18  billion of assistance annually.”

Johnson said, “AARP Florida is recognizing caregivers whose tireless efforts help older parents, spouses and other loved ones remain in their homes as long as possible. This is a labor of love, to be sure, but sometimes it’s more than a full time job—and we think it’s time the world got a better picture of just what it means to be a caregiver.”

Today at the caregiving forum, AARP announced the launch of the next wave of its “I Heart Caregivers” story-telling initiative. To honor family caregivers from across the nation, AARP unveiled “Portraits of Care,” inviting caregivers to submit their personal stories for the opportunity to receive an artist’s painting of them and their loved one. One caregiver from each of the 53 U.S. states and territories will be randomly selected after September 30 to receive a Portrait of Care, which will be presented in November during National Family Caregivers Month.

For more information on caregiving, visit AARP’s Caregiving Resource Center at www.aarp.org/caregiving.