Wisconsin Hiring Outlook, This Week In Congress, Caregiving Cliff

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• Is U.S. Headed For A 'Caregiving Cliff?'

  A growing number of Americans are providing personal care services for a loved one — parents with Alzheimer’s disease, children with autism, wounded veterans and more. An advocate for caregivers says they are being stretched thin, bringing the U.S. to the edge of a “caregiving cliff.”

  John Schall, CEO of the Caregiver Action Network, said the story starts with good news: We’re living longer. That good news, though, is creating more need for care.

  “We’ve seen a tremendous increase in just the last two or three years,” he said. “Ninety million Americans, so four out of 10 adults in this country, said they’re caring for either an elderly loved one or a child with special needs or someone who just needs their care at home.”

  He said that number is up from about 30 percent in 2010.

  While there are institutional options for this kind of care, Schall said it’s not always affordable, and it’s not always the best option, since many people receiving care will live happier lives at home with help from their families. That help can come at a cost for the caregiver.

  “It puts a tremendous strain on families in terms of their own health, not just the patients health,” Schall said, “That stress that you go through as a family caregiver can take a huge toll on your own health.”

  He said caregivers tend to be more susceptible to depression, as well as other physical and mental conditions.

  He said there are also financial costs. Supplies for home care-giving can run around $5,000 in a year, and careers may be put on hold or ended to provide care.

  Schall said caregivers deserve more attention and gratitude than they currently receive, both for the care they provide loved ones, and because their economic contributions amount to $450 billion a year.

  He said government policy makers haven’t caught up with the growing number of caregivers.

  “Almost all of us are in this situation or know someone who is, and yet, policy makers don’t pay that much attention to it,” he said.

  Policy changes that he’d like to see include stipends for family caregivers, allowing caregivers to accrue Social Security benefits when they’re taken out of the workplace to provide care, and recruitment of home caregivers in a sort of “Caregiver Corps,” which could bring youth and retirees into caregiving.

• Survey: Hiring Outlook 'Robust' In Wisconsin

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  According to a new report, the hiring outlook for Wisconsin is looking good. A business reporter talks about the numbers, and what’s driving the demand.

• This Week In Congress – March 12, 2014

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  USA Today Politics and Congress Editor Paul Singer joins Central Time for his weekly update on happenings in Congress.

• More and more family caregivers are being stretched thin between work and caring for aging relatives–sending us over a “caregiving cliff.” That’s according an advocate for caregivers, who says we may need a public campaign to recruit youth and retirees into elder care jobs.