Aging and the Sobering Challenges of Caregiving

Some 48 Million Americans Now Provide Care to Adult Family Members – Often Without Pay

Guess who's aging in Japan these days? Criminals. The number of prisoners over age 65 has doubled in the past 20 years in Japan. Elderly criminals are more likely than younger ones to re-offend, which means it doesn't do them a lot of good to let a 60-year-old out of jail. They just commit another crime to go on back in. And 14% of inmates in Japan who are over the age of 60 have dementia. We have to assume that the similar situation exists here in the United States because dementia affects people regardless of where they're living. And I don't mean just whether they're living in a given country, but also whether they're living in a prison or not. Well, at least those prisoners are getting care provided to them.

That's not the case for honest Americans who are living at home. 48 million Americans are now providing care to adult family members or friends, and they're doing it without pay. No surprise, the majority of those people are women, many of whom have less jobs creating their own financial strains. You could be eligible, though, if you're an unpaid caregiver, you could be eligible for reimbursement hourly wages through your state Medicaid program. Coverage, eligibility benefits all vary state by state, sometimes even county by county. The median hourly wage that you could be getting is $14. That's equivalent to $28,000 a year. So if you're providing care to a friend or family member, go contact your local Medicaid office and see if you qualify for income. And by the way, thank you for your selfless service to your loved ones.