A new report by AARP measures the huge economic contribution made by Utahns who act as caregivers for a family member, partner or friend.
AARP’s "Valuing the Invaluable" report, which was released on Thursday, shows that in 2013, 336,000 unpaid caregivers in the state provided care valued at more than $4 billion.
Susan Reinhard with the organization said on the national level, the numbers are huge.
“That about 40 million family caregivers in the United States provided an estimate of 37 billion hours of care together and that estimated value, of all that work combined, is $470 billion,” Reinhard said.
Reinhard pointed out that the economic impact made by unpaid caregivers was more than all Medicaid spending that year.
The report also found that one in four working Americans over age 25 say they are currently providing unpaid care to a relative or friend, most commonly for a parent or parent-in-law.
Elaine Ryan with AARP said the organization is having success at getting passage of the "Caregiver, Advise, Record, Enable," or “CARE Act,” in several states.
“Families are often left without any knowledge, but all the responsibility of providing care for their loved ones after discharge from a hospital," Ryan said.
AARP Utah is participating in efforts to have the CARE Act become law in the state. It would require hospitals to enter a family caregiver’s name in the medical record at the time a patient is admitted and notify the caregiver when the patient is due to be released. It would also ensure that the caregiver is instructed in any follow-up care needed at home, such as dressing wounds or managing prescriptions.