skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

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

Biden administration moves to protect Alaska wilderness; opening statements and first witness in NY trial; SCOTUS hears Starbucks case, with implications for unions on the line; rural North Carolina town gets pathway to home ownership.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Supreme Court weighs cities ability to manage a growing homelessness crisis, anti-Israeli protests spread to college campuses nationwide, and more states consider legislation to ban firearms at voting sites and ballot drop boxes.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Wyoming needs more educators who can teach kids trade skills, a proposal to open 40-thousand acres of an Ohio forest to fracking has environmental advocates alarmed and rural communities lure bicyclists with state-of-the-art bike trail systems.

Federal Aid Could Offset Costs for CT Family Caregivers

play audio
Play

Friday, July 30, 2021   

HARTFORD, Conn. - In Connecticut, more than 460,000 people care for close friends or family members who can't manage on their own - and their advocates say more federal investment in home- and community-based care would help.

The latest AARP report says four out of five people would prefer to be cared for at home rather than in institutional settings - but 78% of family caregivers face regular out-of-pocket costs to provide that care.

In Connecticut, Betty Bajek is the sole caregiver for her 95-year-old mother.

"She wants to be able to live in her own home, so we are trying our best to keep her there," said Bajek. "Right now, we don't need to bring in any aides, but I anticipate that may happen."

The American Rescue Plan includes a temporary increase in funding to states for home- and community-based services, and some help for family caregivers, investing in respite programs and care coordination.

Groups across the nation are also pushing the "Credit for Caring Act" in Congress, a non-refundable tax credit for eligible, working family caregivers.

Bajek helps her mother with activities of daily living, and helps pay for groceries and house upkeep. She said other possible high-cost items are looming.

"But I just worry that there's still the big things, like the taxes on the house and the insurance on the house," said Bajek. "And medical expenses, I think, are going to start to add up a little bit more as well."

The racial disparities in caregiving costs are significant for Latinx and Black Americans, who spend an average of 47% and 34% of their income on family care respectively, compared to the national average of 26%.

Along with the financial and physical tolls of caregiving, Bajek said the emotional impact carries a weight, too.

"Even though I'm not with her 24 hours a day, she's in my thoughts 24 hours a day," said Bajek. "'Oh, did mom do this? Did mom do that? How can I make it better for her?'"

The Credit for Caring Act is under review in the Senate Committee on Finance. The higher home-care investments in the American Rescue Plan expire next March.




get more stories like this via email
more stories
Several Mississippi correctional facilities offer both short-term (12 weeks) and long-term (six months) alcohol and drug programs with individual and group counseling for treating alcohol and drug addictions. (Wesley JvR/peopleimages.com)

Social Issues

play sound

Mississippi prisons often lack resources to treat people who are incarcerated with substance-use disorders adequately but a nonprofit organization is …


Social Issues

play sound

April is Second Chance Month and many Nebraskans are celebrating passage of a bipartisan voting rights restoration bill and its focus on second chance…

Health and Wellness

play sound

New Mexico saw record enrollment numbers for the Affordable Care Act this year and is now setting its sights on lowering out-of-pocket costs - those n…


Migrants are put on buses from Texas to other states, often without knowing where they are going. (afishman64/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

The future of Senate Bill 4 is still tangled in court challenges. It's the Texas law that would allow police to arrest people for illegally crossing …

Social Issues

play sound

Residents in a rural North Carolina town grappling with economic challenges are getting a pathway to homeownership. In Enfield, the average annual …

Social Issues

play sound

A new poll finds a near 20-year low in the number of voters who say they have a high interest in the 2024 election, with a majority saying they hold …

Social Issues

play sound

A case before the U.S. Supreme Court could have implications for the country's growing labor movement. Justices will hear oral arguments in Starbucks …

 

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