ADVOCATE

Nobody understands the depth of that exhaustion and the grief and the guilt and the stew that is caregiving. Nobody gets it until their in it, unfortunately. And I think that's why people don't pay a lot of attention to it. Because

it's like,

'Well, you're taking care of your mother. How hard is that?'

~ Rosanne Corcoran, Wine, Women, and Dementia

In Wine, Women, and Dementia two families face financial hardship that takes a devastating emotional toll also.

Financial Cost of Dementia: The Facts (USA)

The lifetime cost of dementia is estimated to be more than $390,000, including the value of unpaid caregiving. Families shoulder 70% of these costs.
In 2021 dementia family caregivers in the US provided an estimated $271 billion in unpaid caregiving. That total is $470 billion for all family caregivers in the US.
61% of caregivers work full-time. When caregivers can no longer balance their caregiving with other responsibilities, they must reduce their hours or leave their job altogether — further exacerbating their financial burden.
In 2022, Credit for Caring Act, a tax credit of up to $5,000 for working caregivers, was removed from the Build Back Better legislation.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Live out loud to your local and national policy makers!

Let your local and national representation know about Wine, Women, and Dementia and urge them to schedule a screening to gain a better understanding of the overwhelming challenges dementia households face.

Send an email urging your congressional members to continue the fight for inclusion of the Credit for Caring Act in future legislation.

Volunteer for a clinical study or trial. Become a partner to researchers discovering new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat dementias.

Check out AIM (Alzheimer's Impact Movement) for recent developments that need constituent voices urging lawmakers to action through email and social media. Download the 2023 AIM Advocates Guide for even more ways to spread awareness of dementia and dementia family caregiving.

Subscribe and follow Caring Across Generations, a not-for-profit shifting the culture to value care and embrace aging through innovative policies at state and local levels.

Employers, designing caregiver friendly workplaces retains great employees and is just a click away.

LET'S CAREGIVER STRONG THIS, EVERYBODY!

THEY WON'T KNOW WHAT HIT 'EM.

Kitty and Patricia - Caregiver Strong!