The Math

What if we tally the economic cost to communities when we don't support family caregivers?

After my parents died, I went back out into the world. I traveled to conferences, shopped at stores and spent money at restaurants. I did what I stopped doing when my caregiving experience intensified four years ago.

I stopped spending money.

I did try to spend money. I planned a road trip in September 2021 to take some time to rest. But then my mom had another health care crisis — a heart attack — and then my brother died, which broke my mom’s heart in a more significant, permanent way. The crises continued — my dad suffered terrible wounds after an awful fall, my mom continued to decline. My breaks became time with Netflix.

I know I’m not alone in this experience.

When a caregiving experience begins, at least two individuals drop out of our communities — the caree and the family caregiver. My parents had been wonderful contributors to local, regional and national economies until their illnesses and declines kept them home.

We often look to the cost to the health care system and, importantly, to the family caregiver when a family member needs our help and care.

It’s also important to look at the impact on the economy of our local community.

The Math

Let’s do a little math.

Let’s say 15% of population within a community may be in a caregiving situation.

To make the math easy, let’s look at a community of 100,000 residents. Let’s say a family caregiver once spent $20 a week visiting local restaurants and shops. When that spend stops, the monthly cost to the community is $1,200,000. (My math: 15,000 x $20 x 4 weeks = $1,200,000.)

That’s a significant loss of revenue for both businesses and the local municipality.

Caregiving Disconnects

We could say that perhaps that spend pivots to a different type of service, like hiring help through a local home care agency. The cost of home care, though, is often out of a family’s means. I recently read a comment from a home care executive who said he knows he’s providing services that only 5% of families in the marketplace can afford.

Our communities don’t offer enough help and support for family caregivers. We don’t have enough adult day services, educational programs, support groups, coaching services, financial assistance and respite programs. Because there isn’t enough, family caregivers go without enough, which keeps them disconnected from their communities. We’re in our houses, working 24/7.

How Will We Care?

Our caregiving experiences can be detrimental to our well-being and financial security. Our caregiving experience also puts the financial well-being of our communities at risk as well.

I first shared this insight at the Third National Caregiving Conference I hosted in 2018. Since then, I do my best to offer additional perspectives in a workshop I regularly lead called, “How Will We Care?”

Join me on April 30 at 1 p.m. ET for an updated presentation of “How Will We Care?” and to add your thoughts to our conversation. Registration is free. Health care professionals can receive 1 continuing education unit for joining me; the cost for 1 CEU is $20.

How will we care? Let’s figure it out, beginning with our discussion on April 30.

(Image by councilcle from Pixabay.)

Resources

• Our Professional Listening Artist training is now available! As a Professional Listening Artist, you offer an innovative, significant and supportive service. You create the space for clients to release and vent as they receive your gift of listening. We’ve extended our special introduction enrollment pricing of $350 through April 1. Our program has been approved to provide 24 continuing education units for Certified Dementia Practitioners®, Certified Senior Advisors®, nurses and other health care professionals.