Many Americans are or will be caregivers as their aging parents or relatives will need assistants in their daily activities. Caregiving is not an easy job to have, and the vast majority do not get paid for helping out a family member, but there is support out there, according to The Spectrum.The majority of these individuals also have full-time jobs. Caregivers can go to their employers to seek out the benefits and programs they have for people who are providing home care. Even if there are no programs for these individuals, it does start a conversation, so an employer may be more flexible with hours, according to media outlet.
There are also support groups to share a story with others who have been there or are going through it, the news source reports.
According to AdvisorOne, the AARP recently announced that in 2009, the efforts of unpaid caregivers were were worth $450 billion. The amount of individuals also increased by 21 percent between 2007 and 2009.
"Most caregivers don’t think of what they’re doing as work," Susan Reinhard, senior vice president for public policy at AARP, said in a statement. "They think of it as what families do for each other. They don't think of themselves as caregivers."
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