Unpaid care provided by Rhode Island’s 121,000 caregivers is valued at $2.1 billion, according to new state data available in AARP’s latest report in the Valuing the Invaluable series.
This is a $300 million increase in unpaid contributions since the last report was published in 2019. The report highlights the growing scope and complexity of family caregiving and highlights the actions needed to address the many challenges of caring for parents, spouses and other loved ones.
“Family caregivers play a vital role in Rhode Island’s health care system, whether caring for someone at home, coordinating home health care, or helping care for someone living in a home. retirement,” said Catherine Taylor, director of AARP Rhode Island State. “We want to ensure that all family caregivers receive the financial, emotional and social support they need, because the care they provide is invaluable both to those who receive it and to their community.
AARP Rhode Island says in a press release that it is and will continue to fight for the caregivers and loved ones they care for.
During the 2021 Rhode Island General Assembly Session, AARP Rhode Island and a host of other organizations successfully lobbied to improve the Temporary Caregiver Insurance Program by increasing the number of weeks that ‘a worker can take 4 to 6 weeks to care for a loved one each year.
- At this time, AARP is urging state lawmakers to support working family caregivers because caring for a loved one shouldn’t mean losing your paycheck, or even your job. House Bill 5781/Senate Bill 139 will increase the number of weeks one can take each year to 12. These bills would also expand the definition of family in the existing leave law Rhode Island Paid Families to include siblings, grandchildren, and other care recipients to accommodate the reality of Rhode Island’s diverse and multi-generational families.
Read the full report for national and state-by-state data on the economic value of unpaid care work by family and friends.
Resources and information on family caregiving are available at aarp.org/caregiving.
