AARP Presents Portrait of Care to Sherri Harden of Goffstown

Bulen, Jamie

November marks National Family Caregiving Month, a time to recognize the 40 million Americans – and 173,000 in New Hampshire – who help older parents, spouses and other loved ones live independently at home, where they want to be. The unpaid care they provide – managing medications, cooking meals, driving to appointments, performing complex medical tasks and more – is valued at over $2.2 billion in the Granite State alone.

Sherri Harden from Goffstown is one of these unsung heroes.

“Challenging, rewarding, heartbreaking, fulfilling, all-consuming and life-changing are just a few of the words I would use to describe the experience of taking care of my dad,” shared Harden. Sherri cared for her father, Woody, for 10 years. She helped with everything, depending on the day. Woody, who died in 2011, had Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. He eventually moved to a nursing facility when Sherri could no longer care for him. “I got to know my dad in the last years in a private, special way,” said Harden.

Tonight, AARP New Hampshire recognized Sherri with a Portrait of Care, an artist’s painting of her and her dad. Randomly selected through AARP’s I Heart Caregivers storytelling initiative, Harden is one of 53 family caregivers receiving a hand-painted portrait.

“We want to celebrate family caregivers, spotlight their experiences of hope, love, dedication and perseverance, and elevate their stories, especially during National Caregivers Month,” said Doug McNutt, Associate State Director for Advocacy at AARP New Hampshire. “This is especially important as we work to support family caregivers through public policy, education, outreach and more.”

In 2015, AARP New Hampshire fought for and passed the Caregiver Advice, Record, Enable (CARE) Act to help family caregivers when their loved ones go into the hospital and as they transition home. The bipartisan CARE Act was signed into law by Governor Hassan and will will take effect on January 1, 2016.

AARP New Hampshire serves nearly 230,000 Granite Staters age 50 and over. “AARP New Hampshire will continue to fight for commonsense solutions to help make caregivers’ big responsibilities a little easier,” concluded McNutt.