AARP Hearing Center
A majority of New Jersey voters age 50-plus support increased funding for respite care (79%) and the expansion of the income tax credit for certain Veteran caregivers to all family caregivers (84%).
Nearly four in ten (39%) older New Jersey voters have experience as family caregivers, either by currently caring for an adult loved one (16%) or previously doing so (26%).
Current and former caregivers spend money transporting their loved ones (78%), buying medical equipment (46%), buying prescription drugs (42%), paying for general housing costs (39%), or modifying their home or their loved one's home (37%).
Three in four (76%) current and former caregivers say they are stressed emotionally due to their caregiving responsibilities. Family caregivers who have looked for help say that help has been difficult to find (52%) and difficult to afford (47%).
Family caregivers who have provided care during this pandemic say they have felt more socially isolated and lonely (57%), they have fewer family and friends available to help them (45%), have had difficulty in finding community-based services (31%), and have a worse financial situation than before the pandemic (39%).
For more information, please contact Terri Guengerich at tguengerich@aarp.org. For media inquiries, contact External Relations at media@aarp.org.