Caregiving

AARP Minnesota is distributing wallet cards to help families understand their rights under a new state law. The Caregiver Advise, Record and Enable (CARE) Act, which takes effect Jan. 1, will provide training and support for family caregivers when a loved one comes home from a hospital stay.

There are nearly 600,000 family caregivers in Minnesota who are taking care of an adult relative, spouse or friend. There are even more who are caring for children or grandchildren and most of these unsung heroes are doing so while working, raising families and trying to save for their kids college or their own retirement. And most are doing so without basic workplace protections. In fact, only 13 percent of Minnesota workers have paid family and medical leave through their employers. AARP Minnesota believes it’s time for a common-sense solution that allows Minnesotans to work and care for their families.

By: Kate Makowski

Time is about to run out on caregivers. The CARE Act, a bipartisan bill to support the more than 600,000 unpaid family caregivers in Minnesota, is in jeopardy. Despite passing the Senate with overwhelming support from both parties it has not been taken up in the House and the clock is ticking. With less than a month remaining, there is a real chance that this critically important bill won’t become law.

By Bev Bachel

The vast majority of older Americans want to live independently at home. In order to do so, they often rely exclusively on unpaid family caregivers for help. In Minnesota, more than 670,000 family caregivers are helping their loved ones live independently – keeping them in their homes and out of costly institutions, such as nursing homes. These unsung heroes provide unpaid care valued at about $8.2 billion annually.