FARGO (KFGO/PNS) – North Dakota’s population includes 16 percent of its residents aged 65 and older, with demographers predicting the number will increase, and a new report showed family members caring for many older residents are doing so with a large economic value.
The latest AARP estimate found the unpaid care provided by family caregivers in North Dakota is pegged at $1 billion, based on the average weekly hours they put in. The group said it highlights the challenges caregivers face amid an aging population.
Vel Rae Burkholder, an AARP volunteer and retiree in Fargo, was a caregiver for both her adult son and husband when they each had cancer at different points. She said for her husband, there was a lot to juggle at times.
“It was a never-ending struggle with trying to do everything that had to be done like grocery shopping,” Burkholder said.
The number of North Dakota family caregivers declined in the most recent estimate, but the economic value of their care went up by $20 million. AARP pushed for support measures in the recent legislative session, including a tax credit to reduce the financial burden for these households. At the federal level, President Joe Biden recently signed an executive order designed to offer more caregiver assistance.
Meanwhile, Burkholder suggested it would be helpful for government agencies and aid groups to create more awareness about services tied to respite care.
“That would be a great thing if they would provide some more knowledge about how you can get home health care so that you can go out and get away for a little bit,” Burkholder said.
According to AARP, there are more than 60,000 family caregivers in North Dakota. More than 60 percent of them have full- or part-time jobs.
