Blog

What do Sheila Marcelo, CEO of Care.com; Caring Across co-director and MacArthur “Genius” Ai-jen Poo; and President Bill Clinton all have in common? Here’s the answer: they’re all supporters of the Fair Care Pledge.

Meet D'Rosa Davis, a caregiver from Atlanta.

What can we do to support older Americans and their caregivers? The White House Conference on Aging is tackling this important question.

Join us and the National Domestic Workers Alliance for a tweetchat on Wednesday, May 6, on why #WeAllCare about home care, and why it's time to grant this workforce basic labor protections.

On Tuesday, February 3, Caring Across Generations co-director Ai-jen Poo is coming out with a new book, "The Age of Dignity: Preparing for the Elder Boom in a Changing America." To elevate the important issues she raises in the book, we are hosting an #AgeofDignity tweetchat on February 3 — and we’d love for you to join us.

What will it take to ensure that all of us can live and age with dignity and independence, in our homes and communities instead of institutions? We brought together aging Americans and care workers to explore this question.

I wish I could say that my mother’s experiences don’t echo those of 45 percent of family caregivers in Ohio who juggle the stress of their own lives along with the responsibilities of caring for their loved ones. Unfortunately, I can’t. And unpaid family caregivers like my mom aren’t the only caregivers who are undervalued.

Mom always took first fiddle. Everything else was brushed aside. And one of the things I learned from my caregiving experience is that caregivers must be supported in the workplace.

What do caregivers need most? It’s a question with many answers, but the simplest one is this: to be seen. This is true for all caregivers, both professional caregivers and unpaid caregivers.

Caregivers are harmed by not being supported by the kinds of policies that we want. Many are harmed by not having what they need, too, including adequate financial, social and personal resources to care for themselves and their loved ones.