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Pass a Resolution on Family Caregivers and Direct Care Workers With Specific Recommendations

We represent CareTeamPartner.org, a non-partisan group that seeks to raise awareness of the two national caregiver crises occurring in the US.
A rapidly expanding, under-recognized segment of the population, people who support family members in need require a support system that expands access to home and community-based services and enables a qualified, interdisciplinary workforce that is appropriately trained and properly compensated.
I respectfully request that the our Congressional leaders pass a resolution regarding “Family Caregivers and Direct Care Workers” containing specific policy recommendations. For more information about our goals, visit our website at www.CareTeamPartner.org.
Proposed Resolution
WHEREAS — Family caregivers play a vital role in enabling aging seniors, people with serious health challenges, persons with special needs, and others requiring assistance with activities of daily living to remain in their homes; and
WHEREAS — Enabling people to remain at home for as long as possible is both more compassionate and more affordable than institutional care, which comes at a high cost, often supported by taxes; and
WHEREAS —53.7 million family caregivers provide 34 billion hours of care, an economic value of $530 billion and
WHEREAS — By 2030 every baby boomer will be over 65 years old.
Meaning 1 out of 5 US citizens will be retired, the first time ever, we will have more elderly and young Americans
WHEREAS —By 2024 one in five adults over the age of 65 will need practical assistance for more than 5 years; and
WHEREAS — Medical advances allow millions to live much longer with chronic illnesses, increasing the requirement for caregiving; and
WHEREAS — The stress imposed on families by caregiving is a health risk factor that warrants attention as a Public Health issue; and
WHEREAS — Caregiving imposes significant financial burdens on both caregivers and employers, affecting the economy and contributing to the impoverishment of families; and
WHEREAS — Nationally, caregiver services were valued at $470 billion per year in 2013; and
WHEREAS — The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that the estimate number of Americans aged 65 and older are affected with the condition will be 13.8 million by 2030, and
WHEREAS- There are presently 5 million direct care workers. These positions make up 76% of the long-term care support system. There will be 8.2 million direct care jobs will need to be filled by 2028 and
WHEREAS - As of 2015, the median wage for direct care workers is approximately $13.50 an hour; wages and earnings for home care workers are even lower in rural areas. Because of low wages, variable work hours, and the inability to access workplace-based benefits, 19 percent of home care workers live below the Federal poverty level as compared to 9 percent of the general United States workforce. Nearly half of direct care workers rely on some form of public assistance to support themselves and their families.
WHEREAS — Medical advances allow millions to live much longer with chronic illnesses, increasing the requirement for caregiving; and
WHEREAS — The stress imposed on families by caregiving is a health risk factor that warrants attention as a Public Health issue; and
WHEREAS — Caregiving imposes significant financial burdens on both caregivers and employers, affecting the economy and contributing to the impoverishment of families; and
WHEREAS — Nationally, caregiver services were valued at $470 billion per year in 2013; and
WHEREAS — The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that the estimate number of Americans aged 65 and older are affected with the condition will be 13.8 million by 2030, and
WHEREAS- There are presently 5 million direct care workers. These positions make up 76% of the long-term care support system. There will be 8.2 million direct care jobs will need to be filled by 2028 and
WHEREAS - As of 2015, the median wage for direct care workers is approximately $13.50 an hour; wages and earnings for home care workers are even lower in rural areas. Because of low wages, variable work hours, and the inability to access workplace-based benefits, 19 percent of home care workers live below the Federal poverty level as compared to 9 percent of the general United States workforce. Nearly half of direct care workers rely on some form of public assistance to support themselves and their families.

Footnotes

Committee on Family Caregiving for Older Adults; Board on Health Care Services; Health and Medicine Division; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Schulz R, Eden J, editors. Families Caring for an Aging America. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2016 Nov 8. 4, Economic Impact of Family Caregiving. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK396402/
Demographic Turning Points For the United States :Population Projections for 2020 to 2060; By Jonathan Vespa, Lauren Medina, and David M. Armstrong P25-1144. Issued March 2018 Revised February 2020 https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2020/demo/p25-1144.pdf
National Center for Health Statistics. Health, United States, 2019: Figure ##. Hyattsville, MD. 2021. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus/contents2019.htm.
CDC Caregiving For Family and Friends, A Public Health Issue https://www.cdc.gov/aging/caregiving/caregiver-brief.html
Baby Boomer Caergivers Report Poor Health Miyawaki CE, Bouldin ED, Taylor CA, McGuire LC. Baby Boomers as Caregivers: Results From the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System in 44 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, 2015–2017. Prev Chronic Dis 2020;17:200010. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd17.200010external icon
The Economic Impact of Supporting the Working Caregiver. Source: AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving, “Caregiving in the U.S. 2020.” https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/research/surveys_statistics/econ/2021/longevity-economy-working-family-caregivers-infographic.doi.10.26419-2Fint.00042.007.pdf
Alzheimer’s Association. 2015 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures. Page 16. https://www.alz.org/facts/downloads/facts_figures_2015.pdf. Accessed August 19, 2015.
2020 Alzheimer's disease facts and figures https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32157811/
CARE Opportunity Act 2021 https://edlabor.house.gov/imo/media/doc/2021-05-04%20Direct%20Care%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf
Direct Care Workers in the United States: Key Facts PHI
https://phinational.org/resource/direct-care-workers-in-the-united-states-key-facts-2/

Therefore…
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives and Senate concurring, that:
1. That we recognize and support the important role that family caregivers play in the US.
2. That we support policies and initiatives to provide the support and training needed to make family caregiving more feasible, affordable, and effective.
3. That we encourage efforts at the state and county level to analyze population demographic trends to determine both current and future service requirements for care recipients and caregivers, and to permit data-driven policy and program recommendations about our aging populations and the workforce development needed to empower those who need care to heal, age and live in place.
4. That we encourage employers to establish policies that recognize the impact that caregiving can have on workers, and encourage employers to find ways to support their workers during difficult family times.
5. That we encourage the creation of volunteer “CareTeamPartners” to provide non-medical assistance and companionship to the elderly, at no public expense.
6. That we support financial support directly to the family caregiver, as they are the largest unpaid pillar of long term care segment. Resources are desperately needed to alleviate financial hardship and to promote retirement security of those providing care.
7. That we encourage federal support of family caregivers is urgently needed. Expanded, targeted federal funding must be directed to organizations providing education and access to regular respite care
8. That Tax relief be granted to those who fill the care gap for the aging population. Most try to maintain careers and they are often forced to choose between providing care and working for a living. More flexible employment policies should be incentivized.
9. That establishment of cooperative communities that enable the care of the aging along with special needs and other individuals in need of custodial and medical care would be an innovative approach that brings opportunities to optimize socialization in residential settings.
10. That recognition of the direct care worker as an essential member of the long-term support service system is needed. Improving the quality of direct care jobs by supporting a competitive wage, on going training for career development and advancement
11. Provide regular federally funded ongoing respite services to ease the burden of the family caregiver.
12. That the approval time for the VA Aid and Attendance Program be decreased to 6 months. It is presently taking 18 months to two years.


Additional national statistics that can be included if desired:
• 53.8. million Americans provide unpaid care to someone who is ill, disabled or aged.
• The number of people 65+ will more than double between the years 2000 and 2030, increasing from 35 million to over 70 million.
• Individuals 85 years and older, the oldest old, are one of the fastest growing segments of the population. In 2012, there were an estimated 5.9 million people 85+ in the United States. This figure is expected to increase to 19.4 million by 2050. This means that there could be an increase from 1.6 million to 6.2 million people age 85 or over with severe or moderate memory impairment in 2050.
• Many direct care workers lack access to a career pathway or advanced training opportunities. This limits their ability to build competency and expertise in their field that, when gained, may lead to an increase in their earning capacity. According to PHI, more than half of home care workers have completed no formal education beyond high school, making high-quality, transferable training essential to success on the job.
• The Institute of Medicine found that to ensure that the United States is prepared to meet the health care needs of older individuals during the 21st century, it is essential that the capacity of the direct care workforce be enhanced in both the number of workers available and their ability to meet their own health care and quality of life needs.
• Six in ten working family caregivers age 50+ have been impacted in the workplace by their caregiving responsibilities. Supporting family caregivers in the workforce would boost the economy.

Footnotes
National Alliance for Caregiving. Caregiving in the U.S. 2020. Research report published jointly by the National Alliance for Caregiving and the AARP. Published June 2020. http://www.caregiving.org/caregiving2020/. Accessed July 21, 2020.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living. Administration on Aging: Aging Statistics. http://www.aoa.acl.gov/Aging_Statistics/index.aspx. Accessed August 19, 2015.
Family Caregiver Alliance. What is Long-Term Care? Selected Long-term Care Statistics: Family and Informal Caregivers. https://caregiver.org/selected-long-term-care-statistics. Accessed August 19, 2015.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Understanding Direct Care Workers: A Snapshot of Two of Americas Most Important JobsCertified Nursing Assistants and Home Health Aides, Galina Khatutsky, M.S., Joshua Wiener, Ph.D., Wayne Anderson, Ph.D., Valentina Akhmerova, M.S., and E. Andrew JessupRTI International , Marie R. Squillace, Ph.D.U.S. Department of Health and Human Services March 2011 PDFVersion: http://aspe.hhs.gov/daltcp/reports/2011/CNAchart.pdf
Van Houtven CH, DePasquale N, Coe NB. Essential Long-Term Care Workers Commonly Hold Second Jobs and Double- or Triple-Duty Caregiving Roles. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2020 Aug;68(8):1657-1660. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16509. Epub 2020 May 14. PMID: 32338767; PMCID: PMC7267626.
AARP The Economic Impact of Supporting the Working Family Caregiver https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/research/surveys_statistics/econ/2021/longevity-economy-working-family-caregivers-infographic.doi.10.26419-2Fint.00042.007.pdf
Caregivers in Crisis in the Time of COVID Oct 2020 Ros