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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING CAREGIVERS AS KEY PARTNERS IN THE PROVISION OF HEALTH CARE
WHEREAS, a caregiver assisting a spouse, partner, family member, friend, or neighbor, is known as an informal caregiver and is often an unpaid individual involved in assisting others with activities of daily living and/or medical tasks; and
WHEREAS, according to the most recent report from The National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and AARP published in 2020, there are 53 million people providing unpaid care in the U.S. with family caregivers now encompassing more than one in five Americans; and
WHEREAS, caregiving remains an activity that occurs among all generations, racial/ethnic groups, income or educational levels, family types, gender identities, and sexual orientations. Three in 5 caregivers are women (61 percent) and 2 in 5 are men (39 percent). Six in 10 caregivers report being non-Hispanic White (61 percent), 17 percent are Hispanic or Latino, 14 percent non-Hispanic African American or Black, 5 percent Asian American and Pacific Islander, and 3 percent some other race/ethnicity, including multiracial; and
WHEREAS, while most caregivers of adults care for one person (76 percent), 24 percent care for two or more adults, up significantly from 18 percent in 2015, which suggests a nation of Americans who continue to step up to provide unpaid care to family, friends, and neighbors who might need assistance due to health or functional needs; and
WHEREAS, the growth in caring for an adult relative is up markedly among African American caregivers (88 percent compared to 77 percent in 2015) and Hispanic caregivers (92 percent vs. 85 percent in 2015). The youngest caregivers are also more often caring for an adult relative (91 percent) than in 2015 (85 percent); and
WHEREAS, the three most common problems or illnesses cited by caregivers identifying the recipient's main problem or illness that causes them to need care include "old age" (16 percent), mobility is...
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