Unpaid care in New Mexico is worth billions
By Autumn Gray
New Mexico supports a multi-billion-dollar industry that is not only largely invisible but also will impact every resident either directly or indirectly. It is family caregiving.
About 420,000 residents provide unpaid care each year to family and friends who need support with daily activities, such as mobility, feeding, bathing, and dressing, according to the New Mexico Caregivers Coalition. These individuals provide an average of 18.4 hours of care per week, with the economic value for their care estimated at $3.1 billion annually, the organization states.
This scenario is not unique to New Mexico. Rather, the burden on family caregivers is a nationwide epidemic that is gaining attention at the legislative level in Washington, D.C., from organizations such as AARP, and from mainstream media. Yet at least one Hollywood A-lister believes more is needed.
Actor, producer, and six-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born, Maestro, Silver Linings Playbook) is behind an upcoming PBS documentary titled Caregiving. Cooper was thrust into the role of caregiver when doctors diagnosed his dad with lung cancer. Though Cooper said in a PBS news release that he felt fortunate to be able to be there for his father and to have had help from others, he also said that he “came face to face with the overwhelming realities of taking care of a loved one.”
It was this personal experience that inspired Cooper to produce a film he hopes will stimulate awareness and conversation around the need to better care for and appreciate caregivers.
“Caregiving is something that largely happens behind closed doors, in the privacy of people’s homes,” said Caregiving director and senior producer Chris Durrance in a phone interview with Prime Time. “Most people feel desperately alone, unsupported in a crisis situation that has fallen on them like a ton of bricks. In my view, this is one of the least appreciated stories in America today and certainly will affect every single family at some point.”
The two-hour film, set to premiere on PBS and the PBS YouTube Channel at 7 p.m. MST June 24, will highlight the challenges and triumphs of caregiving in America while also examining the historical and contemporary efforts to address this often unrecognized and rapidly increasing need.
Caregiving takes audiences into the daily experiences of six family and professional caregivers across the U.S. The film features Matthew (New York), a young father who became both his wife and son’s primary caregiver overnight after his wife experienced cancer and a debilitating stroke; Jacob (Florida), a 14-year-old who, along with his father, shares the role of caregiver for his mom; Tracy (Colorado), a young woman balancing the transition from daughter to caregiver for her father, who has dementia; and Zulma (New York), a paid home health aide who has become like family to Sherril, who has multiple sclerosis. Zulma has devoted years to varying for Sherril, even as she has her own family to care for after long hours of commuting.
“The thrust of the film is the lived experience of caregivers,” Durrance said, adding that it also highlights how we got to where we are today.
“There’s an invisible army holding us all up as families and therefore holding the entire economy up,” he said. “It’s a simmering crisis with everyone burning out, whether they’re a (paid) caregiver or a family member.”
According to PBS, recent reports estimate:
- Between 53 million and 105.6 million U.S. adults provide unpaid caregiving for family and friends.
- 5.4 million children and adolescents in the U.S. are direct caregivers for family members.
- The value of the care provided by unpaid family caregivers across the U.S. was $600 billion in 2021, according to a 2023 AARP report.
Also, according to AARP:
- Roughly 30 percent of family caregivers of older Americans live in a household that includes children or grandchildren. They are increasingly likely to be working while performing their caregiving responsibilities.
- Sixty-one percent of family caregivers of adults work either full- or part-time. They face financial risks such as lost income and reduced career opportunities that may mean a future built on lower savings and reduced Social Security benefits.
AARP’s Public Policy Institute publishes a semi-regular report, “Valuing the Invaluable Update,” analyzing the nationwide and state-by-state impact of unpaid caregiving and summarizing public policy initiatives. Its 2023 Update said, “By the year 2034, adults ages 65 and older will outnumber children under the age of 18, and the share of potential caregivers is projected to continue shrinking relative to the number of older adults potentially at risk for needing long-term care.”
As the number of caregivers declines, and the number of individuals requiring care increases, the challenges grow. So, the personal vignettes in Caregiving unfold alongside an examination of the creation and evolution of the care system and the social dynamics that have shaped and continue to guide America’s approach to caregiving today.
According to a PBS news release, the “needs gap” for information may be greater for caregivers than it is for care recipients.
“One of the most important insights from this is it comes back to this question of isolation and the need so many people have to share their stories,” Durrance said. “Our job isn’t to advocate for particular solutions. Our job as storytellers is to convene and spark conversations around the country.”
With that in mind, PBS is inviting caregivers of all ages to share their personal stories, videos, photos, and reflections to offer hope, foster understanding, build community, and break down stigma surrounding caregiving. You can submit your video via social media using the hashtag #WellBeings or email your story to [email protected]. Your submission may be featured in the We Are Well Beings Storywall.
Caregiving is a production of Cooper’s production company, Lea Pictures, and public media station WETA Washington, D.C., in association with Ark Media.
Financial Relief for Caregivers on the Horizon?
A proposed bipartisan bill called the Credit for Caring Act aims to provide financial relief to unpaid American caregivers, who often face significant financial burdens while providing care for family members. It was introduced to the U.S. Senate in 2024 and was reintroduced in the House this year as H.R.2036.
If it were enacted, the new law would create a non-refundable federal tax credit of up to $5,000 for eligible family caregivers to help offset some of the costs associated with providing care for family members with long-term care needs.
“A majority of Americans cannot afford to take care of their families. They see it as their responsibility, and often their failure. To get by, they cobble together solutions, even quitting their jobs to look after a loved one – a newborn, a parent, a friend, or an in-law,” wrote Ai-jen Poo and Benjamin W. Veghte in a 2019 editorial for the New York Times.
“Things are getting worse as baby boomers age into their 70s. We are facing a social crisis as America’s piecemeal and expensive care infrastructure, created a half century ago, has reached a breaking point.”
The tax credit is intended to help working caregivers remain in the workforce while balancing caregiving responsibilities.
Some analyses suggest that if caregivers ages 50 and older had support in the workplace, the U.S. gross domestic product could grow by an additional $1.7 trillion by 2030.
