Young Caregivers Deserve Appreciation And Support

Rostick comes to know that her grandmother, a dementia patient, required help. She decides to move with her to offer support and encourage the patient.

She remotely works for a college and helps her grandmother in cooking and cleaning. Furthermore, she is the one who feeds and dresses her grandfather. These are only a few of the great responsibilities that she has to fulfill.

Young Caregivers Deserve Appreciation And Support

According to the National Alliance for Care giving and AARP survey, there are more than 3.4 million caregivers below 18 years across the country. Most of them don’t have high school graduation. 

In Florida alone, there are more than 300000 school-going children offering care giving services. People generally don’t give the young caregivers the appreciation and support they deserve.

The crisis COVID 19 pandemic and the overuse of opioids brought on created a large number of single-parent households and single grandparents. Even for those families with the means to hire extra help, the odds of a young caregiver are many.

Someone who is always stressed out loses the ability to learn new things.

Research aided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation discovered that up to 22% of teenagers left school in between. They did it to care for their loved ones who needed help.

With a view to helping young caregivers relax, AACY offers recreational activities and home visits at regular intervals. It also provides a 42-day skill-building training along with the services like tutoring. These are offered to school-going caregivers.

The services they offer depend on the needs of their recipients. It can be anything ranging from home cleaning to offering family meals. The organization says that there is much work to be done in this field, to offer the financial and emotional support the care-giving youths deserve.

As per the statistics from the Bureau of Labor, high school graduates earn over $8000 more than those who don’t have a high school degree.

Rostick’s grandparents, however, are more caring. They have the resources to hire additional support when required. Family members who stay nearby too offer help upon request. Furthermore, her grandmother had been a nurse.

Rostick says that the burden was not entirely upon her. Still, she felt anxious at times. At times, she found it to be too hard. But she found those times very beautiful. She could build a bond with her grandparents which she could not do in the past. Rostick was 22 years of age when she decided to move in with her grandparents.

If adequate support is offered, care giving can have a positive impact on the character of these youngsters. It will give meaning to life for them and will help them acquire skills to manage their time effectively.

Young adults in general are quite wonderful. Offering them the support they need creates a win-win situation for everyone involved; those who receive care, their families, and society at large.

Tips for young caregivers

Are you a school-going child caring for your grandparents? If yes, remember the following points:

• Let your friends be of help: Your friends may offer to help in the early days. They are there to help you. Try not to refuse them. If you find yourself to think of anything you need, ask them to prepare food. The experience is sure to be amazing!
• Don’t forget yourself: Have your meals at proper times. Sleep well. Remember, you need to be healthy to help your loved ones.

Talk to your boss if you feel the need for adjustments in your work schedule. And finally, voice your concerns if you have any to the concerned authority.