The financial and emotional strain of unpaid family caregiving is pressing down hard on many Vermont residents, according to new research released today by AARP Vermont. The study finds that Vermont family caregivers often struggle to provide timely quality care to their loved ones without sacrificing their own health and financial security. The research also shows strong support for a paid family and medical leave program across political parties and income levels in Vermont.
AARP Vermont is ramping up its advocacy for legislation that would require employers to offer paid family and medical leave to support the state’s unpaid family caregivers.
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age. We advocate on issues that affect residents at the local, state, and national levels.
For the first time since AARP began publishing the Scorecard in 2011, more than half of Medicaid long-term care dollars nationwide for older adults and people with physical disabilities went to home- and community-based services instead of nursing homes and other institutions.