The University of Michigan's National Poll on Healthy Aging has found that more than one-fourth Americans over 50 are caregivers for a person with a disability or health condition. The poll was conducted with 3,012 non-Michigan adults and 1,079 Michiganders over 50.
Slightly less than half of respondents across America (45%) and in Michigan (47%) said the government should “take the lead in covering the cost of caregiving for people age 65 and over," and more than half wanted at least some government support.
But more than half of Michigan caregivers also were not aware of services that can assist them, like Area Agencies on Aging.
Sarah Patterson, a research assistant professor at the University of Michigan, worked on the poll and said caregiving for an older adult often carries an emotional, financial, and physical toll.
“If the older adult didn't have a lot of financial support or savings, it can really bankrupt a caregiver because it can be so expensive,” she said. “My own mom looked at housing in Ann Arbor that could support an older adult and she was getting quotes from $3,000 to $7,000 a month.”
Patterson said most caregivers aren’t aware of resources that can help them. “When you've been caregiving for someone all day, you've been helping them eat, you've been helping them bathe. The last thing you wanna do is try to Google and find all of this information,” she said. “So what we heard in our focus groups is that people just wanted sort of a road map, they just want an easy-to-find set of information.”
Area Agencies on Aging provide help for seniors including food assistance, community engagement, and other helpful resources. Patterson also mentioned respite care, temporary care provided to give caregivers rest, as a potential helpful solution.
Still, Patterson says, the results show there is a growing sentiment that the government should help shoulder the costs. “There's a growing desire, as the population ages and we have more older adults, for the government to help care for those older adults,” she said.
