Mature woman caring for her elderly mother

A new poll released by AARP Friday revealed that voters in the United States want Congress to provide support for family caregivers

The poll, which included 1,425 registered voters, found that 57% similarly believe Congress should increase support for unpaid caregivers. Some 75% of voters 50 or older think it is important for Congress to help seniors age in their own homes. AARP commissioned the bipartisan polling team of Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research to conduct the survey by phone and text-to-web from April 4-10, 2023.

AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer Nancy LeaMond supported the poll results and urged elected officials to act on them.

“Family caregivers are the backbone of a broken long-term care system, providing $600 billion in unpaid labor each year and saving taxpayers billions,” she said in a statement. “It is long past time for lawmakers to enact commonsense solutions that support family caregivers and help older Americans live independently in their homes, where they want to be.”

Of the voters polled, 78% are a current, past or future family caregiver — with 21% currently supporting a family member. Twenty-nine percent of caregivers said they spend between $1,000 and $5,000 out-of-pocket a year on caregiving expenses, while 30% said they spend $5,000 or more.

Support for caregivers and aging at home is not a bipartisan issue. According to the poll, 89% of Democrats and 72% of Republicans support expanding services to help seniors live at home as opposed to nursing homes. Over 90% of Democrats and 60% of Republicans support paid leave and tax credits of up to $5,000 for family caregivers.

“The data is clear: regardless of your political stripes, people adamantly want to age at home rather than a nursing home,” said Tony Fabrizio, partner in Fabrizio Ward. “It’s why support for helping caregivers is so politically important.”