Just because family caregiving is unpaid does not mean it is cost-less.--Hillary Rodham Clinton
At a February Senate hearing on the financial burdens family caregivers face, several Senators pointed to the need for policies that secure the financial security of family caregivers. The Senate Special Committee on Aging, chaired by John Breaux (D-LA), and the HELP Subcommittee on Aging, chaired by Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), convened the hearing.
Women spend an average of 35 years as caregivers: 18 years caring for children, and 17 caring for older relatives. Many leave the workforce to be caregivers-and pay for their compassion later, when they retire. Women who leave the workforce to become caregivers face an average loss of retirement income of $550,000, and an annual loss of $2,100 in Social Security income. At the hearing, experts from the Older Women's League (http://www.owl-national.org) and the National Alliance for Caregiving outlined for members of two Senate committees the many challenges caregivers face, and the disproportionate burdens women face.
Senators told their own stories of challenges they have faced as family caregivers. Senators Patty Murry (D-WA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Blanche Lambert Lincoln (D-AR), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), and Jean Carnahan (D-MO) testified about the burdens women bear in providing long-term care. Mikulski noted, "I believe that honoring your mother and father is not only a good commandment to live by, but also good public policy to govern by."
According to ABCD policy analyst Julie Shroyer, all Senators "expressed their strong commitment to move forward on providing increased federal support to family caregivers this year. Many of their proposed solutions match ABCD's policy priorities, which creates an excellent opportunity to advance our agenda." Several proposals highlighted at the meeting are included in ABCD's legislative agenda, such as:
Clinton noted, "Just because family caregiving is unpaid does not mean it is cost-less." ABCD supports policies and ideas that reduce those costs and that acknowledge the tremendous importance of family caregiving within our health care system.
For details on the hearing, go to: http://www.senate.gov/~aging/hr76.htm .
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