Caregivers are in danger.
According to the AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving Alliance, in the United States, at least one in five adults are caregivers for adults or children with special needs. It is about 53 million Americans and has grown over five years from 43.5 million caregivers.
Candace Dellacona was a caregiver for her father and uncle, raising three children. Sandwich generations like her have access to a lot of information about their resources, she said, but they don’t necessarily have access to those resources.
“It’s very universal,” she said of caregiving. “But isn’t that the case? Because we all have a variety of economic abilities, social abilities, time abilities, and individuality.”
That’s why USA Today is launching the Cost of Care, a series of stories featuring caregivers around the country. Many caregivers are unpaid and need to leave work due to caregiving duties and experience. Stress, depression, burnout. By sharing these stories and asking readers to share their experiences and ideas about how to deal with the care crisis, USA Today wants to encourage conversations about care that lead to solutions.
Americans spend $648 billion a year on care, according to a recent report from Holding Co., a company that designs products, brands and experiences for the care economy. This includes infants and childcare, nursing homes and hospice, retirement centers, home care, and other resources for caregivers and the resources they support.
Many caregivers feel that they need to leave the workforce to concentrate on full-time care. A new study by financial services firm Edward Jones surveyed more than 3,000 adults, with half of caregivers cutting personal spending due to caregiving responsibility. Many people left work, reduced working hours, and took on debt during that time.
It goes without saying that the mental and emotional tensions of caring for a sick or aging loved one. Most survey respondents said they felt stressed and burned out, with two-thirds finding their health difficult to prioritize.
David Cook, 68, cared for his wife before his death in December. He retired early to take care of her, and the stress of care affected his sleep, losing 40 pounds in about a month.
“If anyone ever said I was a caregiver and was doing some of the things I had to do, I would say, ‘No way, I can’t do that,'” Cook said.
Cook is the first caregiver featured in The Cost of Care on USA Today. His story is set to release the second week of June.
Other caregivers are encouraged to be part of the conversation by completing the survey below: Responses to the survey may be used in future USA Today articles, but their names will not be published unless USA Today has explicit permission from the respondent.
Madeline Mitchell’s role in covering women and caregiving economy at USA Today is supported by partnership with An extremely important venture and Journalism Funding Partner. Funders do not provide editor input. You reach Madeline with memitchell@usatoday.com and @maddiemitch_ x.
