AARP Urges Virginia’s Representatives to Co-sponsor RAISE Family Caregivers Act

At a time when our country is extremely polarized, family caregiving is a rare issue that unites us. It isn’t a Democratic issue or a Republican issue. It’s a family issue that affects us all. If you’re not a caregiver now, you will be one or will need one in the future.

That’s why AARP Virginia went to the U.S. Capitol last week to fight for the 1,030,000 Virginians who care for older parents, spouses, children with disabilities, and other loved ones so they can live independently in their homes and communities, like Patricia.

Patricia is a mother of four and grandmother of five, and is now the sole medical advocate, pill supervisor, banker, personal trainer, housekeeper, and emotional supporter for her husband, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s seven years ago and Mild Cognitive Impairment two years ago.

Family caregivers like Patricia take on huge responsibilities that can be overwhelming, stressful, and exhausting. Sometimes they’re even on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week and can’t get any relief. They:

• help with bathing and dressing
• prepare meals
• drive to appointments
• manage medications
• and more!

In addition to their caregiving responsibilities, many family caregivers are juggling full- or part-time jobs and some are still raising their families.

Supporting family caregivers

As these family caregivers face physical, emotional, and financial challenges, we can take some commonsense legislative steps that would help make their lives a little bit easier.

That’s why AARP urges U.S. Representatives Robert Wittman, Scott Rigell, Bobby Scott, Randy Forbes, Robert Hurt, Bob Goodlatte, David Brat, Morgan Griffith, Barbara Comstock, and Gerald Connolly to take action by cosponsoring the bipartisan Recognize, Assist, Include, Support and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act (H.R. 3099).

The RAISE Family Caregivers Act would create a national strategy to recognize and support family caregivers. Passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate last year, the bill was introduced in the U.S. House by Rep. Gregg Harper (R-MS) and Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL) last July.

Family caregivers in Virginia

In Virginia alone, family caregivers spend about 956 million hours providing an estimated $11.8 billion in unpaid care annually.

The care family caregivers provide helps to eliminate or delay the need for more expensive nursing home care and unnecessary hospitalizations—saving taxpayer dollars.

Read stories from family caregivers in Virginia.

At AARP, we believe supporting family caregivers is a top priority for all of us. We urge U.S. Representatives Wittman, Rigell, Scott, Forbes, Hurt, Goodlatte, Brat, Griffith, Comstock, and Connolly to cosponsor the RAISE Family Caregivers Act to recognize, assist, include, support, and engage family caregivers.

Call 844-259-9351 today.