Valuing the Invaluable 2023 Update: Strengthening Supports for Family Caregivers
The AARP Public Policy Institute’s Valuing the Invaluable report offers a detailed portrait of who family caregivers are, the challenges they face, and the emotional and financial toll this unpaid work can take. It documents how they are also the backbone of our long-term care system. In 2021, for example, they provided an estimated 36 billion hours of unpaid care worth about $600 billion to an adult family member or friend with chronic, disabling, or serious health conditions
As trusted healthcare professionals who so often serve as frontline providers, nurses have the opportunity to make a difference for family caregivers by engaging them, listening to their concerns and priorities, providing instruction and support, and linking them to the resources they need.
The report highlights trends in family caregiving, explores the growing scope and complexity of family caregiving, and discusses actions needed to address the financial, social, and emotional challenges of caring for parents, spouses, and other loved ones.