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AARP AARP States Virginia Caregiving

AARP to Focus on Family Caregivers at January 24 Lobby Day

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

Caregivers logo 3
680 WOULD ESTABLISH TASK FORCE TO STUDY ISSUE

 

RICHMOND_ AARP members and family caregivers will head to the Virginia General Assembly on Tuesday, January 24 to urge their legislators to pass a resolution to help people who care for family members at home.  More than 100 people are expected to visit their legislators on Tuesday morning.

 

Participants will gather at 9 a.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 8 th and Grace Streets before heading to meet with their legislators.

 

Family caregivers provide the vast majority of long-term services and supports for older adults and individuals with disabilities. More than 1 million family caregivers in Virginia help their loved ones to live independently, keeping them out of costly, taxpayer-funded institutional settings. In Virginia, family caregivers provide a total of 956 million hours of unpaid care each year, providing nearly $11.8 billion of uncompensated care. Family caregivers are at higher risk for stre
ss, depression, physical and financial problems, and increased mortality.

 

House Joint Resolution 680, sponsored by Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn, (D-Springfield), would establish a task force to study issues related to family caregiving and report back to the General Assembly prior to the 2018 legislative session. The report shall identify barriers and challenges to providing unpaid care; compile an inventory of policies, resources, and programs available to family caregivers; and recommend new innovative means of providing support and assistance to family caregivers to enable them to continue to provide services and support.

 

Nearly three-quarters of older adults and individuals with disabilities in Virginia receive services and supports in their homes and communities, relying on an unpaid caregiver, often a spouse, partner, family member, friend, or neighbor, for assistance. By 2030, 24 percent of the state’s population, or approximately 2.3 million Virginians, will be age 60
or older-- a 64 percent increase in two decades. In the same year, Baby Boomers will begin to turn 84 years of age, and the number of potential family caregivers will decline from 7.2 to an estimated 4 family caregivers for every person age 80 or older - a 55 percent reduction since 2010.

 

The creation of this task force is supported by the National MS Society, AARP Virginia and the Virginia Caregiver Coalition.

 

AARP has more than 1 million members in Virginia.  To learn about its work in Virginia, visit the website, follow @AARPVa on Twitter and like the Facebook page.

 

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of nearly 38 million that helps people turn their goals and dreams into 'Real Possibilities' by changing the way America defines aging. With staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, AARP works to strengthen communities and promote the issues that matter most to families such as healthcare security, financial security and personal fulfillment. AARP also advocates for individuals in the marketplace by selecting products and services of high quality and value to carry the AARP name.  As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the world’s largest circulation magazine, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to political campaigns or candidates. To learn more, visit  www.aarp.org or follow @aarp and our CEO @JoAnn_Jenkins on Twitter.

 

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