skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Nebraska Lawmakers Urged to Support Family Caregivers

play audio
Play

Monday, March 21, 2022   

The strain of unpaid family care-giving is pressing down hard on many Nebraska residents, according to new AARP research.

Nearly half of people surveyed have experienced increased emotional distress, and more than a quarter said they had to spend more out of pocket.

Todd Stubbendieck, state director of AARP Nebraska, said caretakers help people stay in their homes as they age - where most prefer to be - and out of nursing homes that frequently rely on state funds.

"That family member isn't having to go to some sort of long-term care facility," said Stubbendieck. "So these family caregivers not only are helping their loved ones stay at home, they're also helping taxpayers as well."

Nebraska's 240,000 family caregivers contribute more than 199 million hours of unpaid care each year, valued at nearly $3 billion.

State lawmakers are considering LB 290 - a measure that would ensure working caregivers are not forced to take unpaid leave, and risk losing their job, or move loved ones into facilities to get the care they need.

Some critics of the measure worry that businesses operating on thin margins can't afford to pay workers for time to care for family members, but more than seven in 10 Nebraska voters surveyed support requiring employers to provide at least some paid family leave.

Stubbendieck said he believes those benefits can actually help employers struggling in a tight labor market.

"Offering these sorts of benefits and opportunities for people to take care of loved ones," said Stubbendieck, "also becomes an incentive as well that helps them to help attract better workers."

AARP offers a Nebraska Family Caregiver Resource guide, at AARP.org/caregiverresources, which shows where people can get assistance in their communities.

Stubbendieck said many Nebraskans don't realize that they are, in fact, family caregivers.

"They're just helping out mom or grandpa or another loved one because that's what we do," said Stubbendieck. "If they don't recognize that they are a family caregiver, they don't necessarily have access to the resources out there that are designed to help them."



Disclosure: AARP Nebraska contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy & Priorities, Consumer Issues, Health Issues, Senior Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021