The United States has a rapidly aging population due to longer life spans and low birth rates. Since the body’s functions often decrease with age, older adults are more susceptible to diseases such as dementia. Informal caregivers often provide the bulk of care and financial support to the ailing relatives with dementia. The nature of the illness is such that it affects memory and cognition, making self-care unrealistic for the patient. Although the family members are likely to feel obligated to be carers, they often suffer from compassion fatigue and are drained financially by the enormous hospital bills.
One policy solution that can help protect informal caregivers is asking employers to provide paid leave. After all, the stress that comes from caring for a loved one can significantly decrease work performance and increase errors. In addition, there should be a law for free counseling support to all unpaid caregivers to help them cope with the psychological issues resulting from caring for a sick relative. Lastly, each state should establish nursing homes that offer alternative services to patients.
The cost of paid leave can be passed on to taxpayers by requiring employers to file reports whenever a worker is out of the office to care for a patient with the Ministry of Health. The government can then use the federal revenue to reimburse the companies by calculating the days of leave and the wages for the period. The justification for using taxpayer money is that it is partly the government’s role to ensure the health of its citizens. Moreover, nobody ever plans for sickness; therefore, the patients deserve support, which should be shared to avoid burdening a few people.
I do not think family members should be obligated to care for their loved ones with personal financial resources. The high cost of healthcare can cause a hardworking individual to fail to meet their financial goals and fall into debt. Moreover, people should not be punished for the illness of their loved one because they are already hurting emotionally. Thus, the cost should be supported by taxpayers to spread the burden and make it lighter for everyone.