A Michigan Portrait of Care

"Elaine was a vibrant, hard-working Mom whose life was taken too early due to complications from Alzheimer's.Our last few years were very difficult as we moved through the stages of the disease, but we hung in there and did the best we could to make her safe and comfortable. We made sure that we told her we loved her several times each and every day."

Carol of Michigan acknowledged that caregiving was tough. But she was determined to keep her mom, Elaine, at home, where she wanted to be, and out of costly institutional care.

Carol isn’t alone. About 2 million Michiganders perform a labor of love every day caring for older parents, spouses, and other loved ones. Each year, they spend 1.2 billion 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 $15.5 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:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpEiZC4McbE&list=PLErIJrtiGWSzApcdW0WyMv2oJu2G3JrVB&index=340]

 

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.