Care for a Caregiver
Lend a Hand, Lighten the Load
Roughly one in five Americans provides unpaid care to a loved one. The 2023 update of the AARP Valuing the Invaluable report estimates the value of the care they give at $600 billion annually. Most of these caregivers are women and many are caring for both aging relatives and children at the same time. It’s a big job.
Caregiving can be enormously satisfying—and also emotionally and physically draining. And research shows that caregivers often sacrifice self-care as they find themselves squeezed for time and an extra set of hands to help out.
The good news is that you can make a big difference in a caregiver’s life. Sometimes, caregivers need someone to listen to the challenges they face. Other times, they may need someone to take over so they can get some rest.
AARP provides many resources to help caregivers. Use these resources to help you get ideas and resources to help the caregiver in your life:
- Check out this article about the ways you can help your favorite caregiver, ranging from lending an ear to giving some of your time and effort. The article also includes some groups and resources that can help caregivers find the support and help they need.
- Visit AARP’s Family Caregivers hub for more information, resources and ideas. In addition to reports about the importance and impact of caregivers, you’ll also find helpful articles ranging from how to make homes safer to finding a caregiver support group.
- Get even more ideas from AARP’s updated Care for a Caregiver Do-It-Yourself guide. This hyperlinked how-to dives into specific areas where caregivers typically need help as well as helpful ideas to provide assistance, documents, and support.
Caregivers do important work. These resources will help you give them the support they need. And if you’re looking for other volunteer ideas, visit www.createthegood.org.
