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Caregivers in Nebraska are providing billions in unpaid long-term care

Family caregivers in Nebraska provide $2.5 billion worth of unpaid care, according to a recent study by the AARP.

Mark Intermill is advocacy director for AARP Nebraska. He says the report highlights the importance of family caregivers in our long-term care system, and the challenges they face in terms of both their health and their finances.

Intermill says when an individual decides to take time out of their career to provide care for an aging parent, that interruption in work can have a direct impact on their retirement and financial security. 

Intermill says respite services are also extremely important for caregivers so they can get a little relief from their day to day responsibilities.

"One of the things that struck me is what would happen if we didn’t have those family caregivers and we did have tens of thousands of people who needed long-term care but weren’t able to continue living at home.  We would need to have a lot more capacity in our formal long-term care system.  And that’s a cost that those family caregivers are helping us to avoid.”

Intermill says the report shows that more needs to be done to provide support to caregivers. 

He says some of these things can include tax credits, home care services, and improved workplace flexibility.