An Inadequate Supply of Support Services for Caregivers in the U.S.
In the United States, 53 million Americans — more than 20 percent of the population — acted as caregivers to an older adult or an adult or child with disabilities in 2020. More than 60 percent of these caregivers were women, and many were uncompensated for their work. There is no comprehensive federal policy or infrastructure to support caregivers in the U.S. While some states offer reimbursements to reduce costs, not all caregivers in the U.S. are eligible for, or have access to, these programs. And the programs themselves may be inadequate to meet the scale of the problem.
In 2020, Bogotá, Colombia’s city government unanimously approved its CARE System, a program aimed at supporting the invaluable, often unpaid, work of female caregivers. It is the first program of its kind in Latin America, and one that U.S. policymakers could take inspiration from. To learn more about the Bogotá CARE System, stay tuned for our next International Insight on Monday, July 8.
Basic Health Access
4moOnly a portion of the magnitude of the problem. The 130 million people in 2621 counties that are lowest in health care workforce and even lower in delivery team members have concentrations of elderly, poor, disabled, chronic physical illness, chronic mental illness, lowest education and literacies in multiple dimensions. One can only imagine the magnitude of the problem for the caregivers in these counties that also have weakest employers, worst benefits, lowest levels of supports, and fastest growth. Don't forget closures of hundreds of hospitals and countless practices over 40 years for even more challenges with integration, coordination, outreach or the only innovation that matters, one on one with team membres