North Texas Family Among Millions Awaiting Caregiver Bill Approval

In Texas alone, there are more than 3.4 million unpaid family caregivers, many of whom provide complex medical and nursing tasks for their loved ones, and sometimes without adequate explanation or training. It’s not unusual for their tasks to include managing multiple medications, providing wound care, overseeing special diets, and operating high-tech medical equipment and monitors.

Glenn Weaver of Flower Mound has been the caregiver for his wife, Aggie, since 1997, when she had two strokes that left her without full use of her arms and legs. Glenn recently retired and is now Aggie’s sole caregiver. During her hospital stay and after discharge, Glenn said he was repeatedly left out of conversations about how he should help care for his wife at home. “Some hospitals are good at informing caregivers. Some are not,” Glenn said.

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“Aggie’s biggest fear is that something will happen to me,” he said. “She figures she would end up in a nursing home if I was gone.”

The 2017 session of the Texas Legislature is nearing an end. A priority for AARP Texas is passage of the CARE Act. House Bill 2425 by Rep. Four Price (R-Amarillo) and Senate Bill 1417 by Sen. Van Taylor (R-Plano) would guarantee that family caregivers receive consultation in medical tasks, such as how to dress a wound or administer medications, to ensure that they can safely provide care when their loved ones return home.

Glenn is urging Texas lawmakers to not further delay in helping unpaid family caregivers. “They need to help out caregivers,” he said. “You feel like you’re on your own out there sometimes.”

-- By Callie Jones