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.

A Special Thank You for ND's Family Caregivers

play audio
Play

Wednesday, November 27, 2019   

FARGO, N.D. – As North Dakotans gather to celebrate Thanksgiving, there are some who could use a little extra gratitude.

About 68,000 North Dakotans are family caregivers, including Mary Beth Simmer of Fargo. She quit her job to provide care for her sister, who has passed away, but Simmer knows well that caregiving truly is a labor of love - and also a major challenge.

"Many caregivers have loved ones who absolutely need somebody there to help them 24/7 and they can't be left alone," she said. "You can get very depressed: 'I can't do this, this is too much, I need a break.' "

November is National Family Caregivers Month, and Josh Askvig, state director of AARP North Dakota, said a new report shows that caregivers in the state provide about 57 million hours of care each year free of charge - with an economic value of $980 million.

"It really goes to show that those uncompensated caregivers are that backbone of the long-term care continuum," he said.

Nationally, the report said, 41 million family caregivers provide care totaling $470 billion a year. The report also revealed the complex responsibilities of caregiving, which also may include such medical tasks as wound care and medication management. Knowing she'd become her sister's full-time caregiver, Simmer became a Certified Nurse Assistant. However, she noted, most people don't have that sort of training when they are thrust into the caregiving role.

"On top of immediately learning that a loved one is ill and needs care often comes the fact that, 'I don't know how to do that. What if I hurt 'em? What if I don't do it right?' There's so many questions," she said.

In an effort to address the challenges caregivers face, Askvig said AARP helped get the CARE Act passed this year, which provides support for caregivers upon a loved one's release from the hospital.

"We also worked with the North Dakota Department of Human Services to look at how do we get people more breaks across the lifespan of what they call respite care," he said, "and helping them find support for those caregivers to get a planned, or sometimes emergency, break."

Askvig said a growing aging population will only increase the demand for caregivers in the years to come.

The report is online at aarp.org.

Disclosure: AARP North Dakota contributes to our fund for reporting on 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