Arizona’s leaders must focus on family caregivers, older adults

Sherrie Friend

Submitted photo/Oakwood Creative Care

Community

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Public health

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November is National Family Caregivers Month — a time to recognize the 63 million Americans providing care for seniors, or for an adult or child with complex medical conditions. Nearly 1 in 4 caregivers provide 40 or more hours of care per week — equivalent to a full-time job.

And yet caregiving remains invisible in our health care system. For Arizona families caring for loved ones with dementia, Alzheimer’s and other age-related cognitive issues, this invisibility has profound consequences. Furthermore, a growing number of adults are part of the sandwich generation, meaning they are caring for both children and aging parents simultaneously. Nearly 1 in 3 caregivers are raising children under the age of 18 while also caring for an adult loved one.

Arizona faces a particularly acute crisis. Our state has the fastest growth rate for Alzheimer's disease in the nation. Currently, 200,000 Arizonans age 65 and older live with Alzheimer's, and 260,000 unpaid family caregivers bear this burden.

I’m proud that our nonprofit just opened our fifth location in Chandler, made possible by a $2 million grant from Arizona Complete Health and the Centene Foundation. Their support has allowed us to move forward with our mission, ensuring that older adults and their families have access to enhanced care and support in a state-of-the-art facility designed to meet their needs.

The new center is a model for community infrastructure that Arizona urgently needs, offering an Adult Day Club where older adults with cognitive changes participate in brain-health activities while building community; workshops and support groups for caregivers; and a Wellness Clinic featuring age-accessible fitness equipment and counseling services open to anyone seeking better brain health.

The ripple effects strengthen entire communities. When we invest in care, we invest in dignity, stability and opportunity for everyone. Caregivers maintain employment and financial security. Children in caregiving families experience stability. Health care systems see fewer emergency visits. Most importantly, families experience improved wellbeing — the foundation of healthy communities.

But grants alone cannot solve this crisis. We must shift our perspective on caregiving. It’s not private responsibility — it is shared infrastructure making everything else possible. Arizona’s caregivers sustain our communities while sacrificing their own health. They deserve systems that sustain them in return.

With Arizona’s aging population expected to reach 24% of the state’s population by 2050, we desperately need comprehensive infrastructure supporting caregivers and older adults with brain-related conditions.

I urge our leaders to acknowledge the pressing need for resources across Arizona. I encourage community members to advocate for investments in childcare, elder care and paid leave. Arizona Complete Health and the Centene Foundation have shown leadership. We need others to follow.

Editor’s note: Sherri Friend is president and CEO of Oakwood Creative Care, a Mesa-based nonprofit. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.