Caregiving

RALEIGH, NC – North Carolinians who provide care for veterans spend on average $11,500 of their personal income on out-of-pocket costs related to caregiving each year—1.5 times higher than what other family caregivers spend ($7,242), according to AARP data. And 43 percent of veteran and military caregivers experienced at least one financial setback such as having to take on more debt or dip into personal savings, according to research from AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving.

WASHINGTON-- AARP strongly supports new bipartisan legislation, the Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act, which would make it easier for family caregivers to navigate key financial and health care programs. The bill was introduced today by Senators Edward Markey (D-MA) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and is co-sponsored by Senators Kyrsten Sinema, (I-AZ), Susan Collins (R-ME), Bob Casey (D-PA) and Thom Tillis (R-NC).

“Uplifting” isn’t a word usually associated with death and dying, but AARP’s film presentation last Friday showed how it might be possible. Perhaps the applause and the smiles from the audience said it all: the more you know about modern ways of dying, the more empowered you are to make your own end-of-life journey exactly what you want it to be.

The bill would require that less-restrictive alternatives be considered before resorting to court-ordered guardianships for older North Carolinians and people with disabilities.

AARP North Carolina is working to make it easier for residents to get advance directives in place on how they want to be cared for during a serious illness. “Advance care planning empowers individuals to make their own important health care decisions while they are still able, bringing peace of mind to individuals and their families,” says Virginia Slocum, executive director of the North Carolina Serious Illness Coalition.

Latest AARP research attaches monetary value to the estimated hours of unpaid care that North Carolina family caregivers provided in 2021.

Updates are needed to improve North Carolina's guardianship laws

Good things happen when volunteers from AARP’s Mountain Region team up with our seven regional YMCAs. In this informative series of in-person talks, knowledgeable speakers will present on topics such as decluttering, brain health, and fraud prevention. (See complete list below.)

RALEIGH – Newly published figures from the AARP Public Policy Institute finds that at the end of October, less than 44 percent of nursing home residents in North Carolina were up to date on their vaccinations and confirmed COVID-19 cases were on the rise. When it comes to nursing home staff, 46 percent were vaccinated and boosted, but only 19 percent are currently up to date.

RALEIGH -- Joining Our Voices: Envisioning the Future of Serious Illness Care is a weeklong free virtual symposium that brings together policy professionals, advocates, and peers in conversation to share experiences, innovations, and opportunities for the future of North Carolina’s serious illness care.