Jean Caron, Caregiver; Nora Duncan, State Director, AARP Connecticut
November is National Family Caregivers Month.
More than 700 thousand Nutmeggers care for aging parents and spouses who want to stay at home, instead of costly institutions. These family caregivers provide unpaid services valued at about $5.8 billion annually. Jean has cared for her mother for more than 3 years. She says…
CARON: MY MOTHER IS 94 YEARS OLD AND LIVES ALONE. SINCE HER HEALTH BEGAN TO FAIL, I’VE DONE EVERYTHING I CAN TO HELP HER STAY AT HOME – FILLING OUT NECESSARY FORMS, KEEPING TRACK OF HER MEDICATIONS, TAKING HER TO DOCTOR’S APPOINTMENTS AND JUST BEING AN ADVOCATE FOR HER WHEN ISSUES ARISE. IT ISN’T EASY, BUT I WOULDN’T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY.
This week, A-A-R-P launched I Heart Caregivers to collect stories like Jean’s. AARP Connecticut State Director Nora Duncan says…
DUNCAN: OUR SILENT ARMY OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS HELPS SENIORS TO LIVE INDEPENDENTLY, WITH DIGNITY, EACH AND EVERY DAY. WE WANT TO HONOR THESE UNSUNG HEROES – WHILE AT THE SAME TIME FIGHT TO GET THEM MORE SUPPORT, TRAINING, HELP AT HOME.
The organization will work to pass the Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable – CARE – Act in the next legislative session.
For more go to A-A-R-P dot org slash I Heart Caregivers.