TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) \u2014 In Florida, caring for a loved one often means balancing compassion with sacrifice, and now, state leaders say it\u2019s time to give caregivers the care they deserve<\/p>\n
1 in 4 adults in the U.S. provides unpaid care for aging or ill loved ones.Florida could need 500,000 more caregivers by 2030 as its senior population grows.Watch the video below to see how local leaders and caregivers feel about the importance of caregiving.<\/p>\n
Florida Caregiving Summit focuses on supporting caregivers as demand rises<\/p>\n
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:<\/p>\n
One in four adults is a caregiver, looking after aging parents, spouses, or loved ones, often without pay or support.<\/p>\n
Tuesday night, state leaders and advocates gathered in Tallahassee to support those caregivers through training and resources.<\/p>\n
Hosted by AARP Florida and the FSU Claude Pepper Center, the summit focused on the economic and emotional toll of caregiving \u2014 and the policies that could make a difference.<\/p>\n
Dr. Dawn C. Carr, Director of the Claude Pepper Center, said \u201cCaregivers do some of the hardest jobs of any of us\u2026bring their loved ones to doctors appointments their taking time away from work a lot of time they\u2019re spending lots of money, their doing physically demanding care work there doing the work that the rest of us should be thankful for and we\u2019re hoping we can find ways to make everything a little bit easier for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Experts say Florida will need an additional half million caregivers by 2030… and 30% of Florida’s population is projected to be at least 60 years old by 2045.<\/p>\n
Secretary Michelle Branham, Florida Department of Elder Affairs, said, \u201cI think Florida is the tip of the spear for caregivers, and it\u2019s important. Every one of us has the experience in our families, we\u2019re either going to need care or be providing care, so in Florida, with our aging population, I think we do an incredible job of wrapping services and support around our caregivers.”<\/p>\n
Current caregivers like Kip Corriveau say it\u2019s about being there for family.<\/p>\n
\u201cCaregivers do what they do out of love and I really think that\u2019s where it starts is and so we have cared for my father-in-law in our home for the past nine years going on 10 years, but he has stage Alzheimer\u2019s and were really coming to the end of that journey with him, really is for us an important expression of love,\u201d Kip Corriveau said.<\/p>\n
He believes it’s important for employers to speak directly with caregivers.<\/p>\n
Kip Corriveau added, \u201cIf we want this state to grow, if people want to find employees, they want to retain employees. Being sensitive to the needs of caregivers is one of the most important things they can do as an employer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Organizers say this summit is just the start. The goal is to turn today\u2019s ideas into action, so caregivers across Florida don\u2019t have to do it all alone<\/p>\n
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