The concept of a “holiday” is an elusive one for the over 28 million people in the United States who provide care for someone age 75 or older. A 2009 National Alliance for Caregiving/AARP study found that 88 percent of family caregivers never get a break from this full-time job. As readers here know all too well, the non-stop effort can take both a physical and emotional toll over time.
Jill Kagan, who has chaired the National Respite Coalition since 1994, hopes to change all that — not household by household, but at the policy level. She is determined to help caregivers who can’t afford private options find a way to catch their breath.