Over 317,000 Iowans care for an aging parent or loved one. While the focus is usually on the elderly person being cared for, caregivers often carry an unseen burden.
"There are simply not enough medical professionals to be able to provide that kind of care. In fact, e call them 'hidden heroes' because these family caregivers are really the largest part of the health workforce of this country. They're not given any compensation. If you were to pay those family givers in Iowa for what they do, it would cost 3.9 billion dollars a year," says Elaine Ryan, vice president of State Advocacy and Strategy Integration in AARP's Government Affairs group.
On this program of River to River, host Ben Kieffer speaks with Ryan about the CARE Act, which would increase and codify communication between hospitals and caregivers.
