There are thousands of families around the country that are providing family care for an older loved one. It’s impossible to know the number precisely, but some estimates state that as many as 420,000 individuals across the U.S. that are providing some form of unpaid senior care to an elderly loved one.
I’m not going to ask you to do math along with me, but if these 420,000 individuals each provide eight hours of unpaid care to their family members each day (the equivalent of a full time job, plus weekends), that’s 56 hours per week. Over the course of 52 weeks, that’s 2,912 hours per year. If you assume that the average caregiver is only making $15 per hour (the national average is over $18 per hour for this type of position), that’s $43,680 per year per person that is being lost in wages. Now, multiply that by the 420,000 people that are not being paid to provide care. That’s $18.3 billion dollars!
Now, that number might just be an estimate of how much work is done on the care front that goes unpaid, but it does symbolize something important. When someone leaves the workforce to care for an older loved one, they are making a big sacrifice. They are giving up a large sum of money from employment to care for a family member. Now, there might be money saved when it comes to paying for a caregiver, but this isn’t always a worthwhile choice from a financial perspective. It all depends on your unique situation.
At the end of the day, you need to do what is right for you and your family. You’re the expert on this, not me, not other care professionals. You know your family and your family’s needs like no one else possibly can.
Family care might be exactly what you need at this time. Providing assistance for your loved one could be a perfect solution. If it’s not, reaching out to a professional who can help get you steered in the right direction could be a helpful move. It might be helpful even if you’re happy providing care to your family at this time because situations change. Needs and circumstances are always evolving, and knowing what else is out there could be helpful for you down the road.
As you might know from reading through our blogs here, there are numerous types of senior care that exist. Some types of care require more intensive services than other types. Some individuals need a lot more help than others might. Family care is no different. Some family members only require a small amount of assistance around the house. Others might need a lot more assistance.
Regardless of what you might be looking for, professional care might be the right choice. At the very least, it could be beneficial to take a look at what is offered. We offer a free consultation service designed to help get you pointed in the right direction. Call us today to get started.
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