November Honors Caregivers and Highlights Long-Term Care Awareness

National Family Caregivers Month (NFCM), observed each November, is a time to praise and acknowledge family caregivers. It provides a chance to strengthen support for caregivers, educate communities about caregiving difficulties, and promote awareness of these challenges.

The Caregiver Action Network (CAN), the nation's leading family caregiver organization, selects each year's theme for National Family Caregivers Month and spearheads the national celebration of National Family Caregivers Month.

The theme, Caregiving Happens (#CaregivingHappens), will help portray what the organization says is the truth about caregiving - it happens. Many family members must provide care, whether the caregiver is at work or just living with their family and friends.

John Schall, CANs CEO, says it will help show that in a family caregiver's life, often caregiving "just happens."

It happens when you least expect it, is not always convenient, and may disrupt plans.

Caregiving Isn’t Easy and Can Go on for Years

According to research, providing care for others has considerable emotional, physical, and financial costs. Nationally, over 60% of caregivers work outside of the home. Adult caregivers provide care for four to five years on average, with a growing number indicating they have provided care for five years or longer. Although caregivers quit their professions for various reasons, the stress of providing care for a loved one is the main culprit.

National Family Caregivers Month is intended to help honor the love and sacrifice of the more than 50 million Americans who provide long-term health care for loved ones. These caregivers give vital care and medical support to older parents and other loved ones to ensure their health and dignity during National Family Caregivers Month.

November is also Long-Term Care Awareness Month. As more Americans live longer and require assistance with daily living activities, the care burdens loved ones and places a financial strain on the care recipient.

Family Caregivers Must Juggle Responsibilities

President Biden said far too many Americans struggle to make ends meet while simultaneously juggling the immense responsibilities of caring for their aging parents while trying to earn a living.

The truth is, at some point in our lives, each of us will likely need to be a family caregiver — but the burden falls especially hard on those who cannot afford support. Women, people of color, and immigrants shoulder a disproportionate share of the obligation, sometimes forced to leave good jobs to instead provide care. Their work is a profound service to their families and to our nation, but they are still too often unseen, undervalued, and unpaid.

The president said family caregivers are the backbone of the country's long-term care system. He says these caregivers are doing essential work with devotion, often at a great emotional and financial cost. 

Don’t Count on Health Insurance or Medicare

Health insurance, including Medicare and supplements, only pays for a minimal amount of long-term health care services. Unless someone has Long-Term Care Insurance, the responsibility of caregiving falls on families or their wallets. Medicaid will provide long-term health care resources but only if someone has little or no income and assets.

The cost of long-term health care is exploding nationwide. The LTC NEWS Cost of Care Calculator indicates that these costs will continue to increase dramatically in the years ahead. Increased demand, inflation, and higher labor costs pressure the system. As a result, prices for all levels of care increase.

Care at Home

Research shows that 90% of Americans desire to age in place with home care, making it the preferred form of health care delivery for the elderly and chronically ill. Over 5 million Americans receive compassionate, high-quality care at home annually.

Research shows caregiving can take a significant emotional, physical and financial toll on a person, according to Lucille Carriere, Ph.D., health psychologist for Cleveland Clinic.

Family caregiving is an incredibly intensive and time-consuming experience. We typically see this in more complex medical diagnoses, such as dementia, where we see a lot of unfortunately negative effects for family caregivers.

Most Long-Term Care Insurance claims pay for in-home care allowing those with policies to easily stay in their home. However, only some people have a policy, and others are unaware Long-Term Care Insurance exists. Others think it is expensive.

However, LTC Insurance can be very affordable if you are younger and have relatively good health. Most people obtain coverage in their 50s; others never get a policy, their families become caregivers, and their assets get drained.

How Much Does Long-Term Care Insurance Cost?

The Long-Term Care Insurance Partnership Program was extended to most states when former President George W. Bush signed the Deficit Reduction Act into law. Today, most states offer these LTC Insurance policies that provide additional dollar-for-dollar asset protection.

What is a Long-Term Care Partnership Policy?

Long-Term Care Awareness month allows us to understand the physical, emotional, and financial burdens that long-term health care has on families. 

The focus is on caregivers, and family caregivers face tremendous pressure and demands on their time. National Family Caregivers Month highlights the work these caregivers provide.

November is a month when families get together at Thanksgiving. It seems appropriate for these related awareness campaigns to go together simultaneously.