Jodi Southerland, Assistant Professor in the East Tennessee State University College of Public Health Department of Community and Behavioral Health, has authored an article in the Journal of Appalachian Health. The article is titled “Reimagining A Caregiver-friendly Society.”
The commentary discusses trends in population aging and the growing need to support caregivers in the Appalachian Region. As a family caregiver, Dr. Southerland said she wrote the article to raise awareness about the increasing number of adults who are caregivers.
Approximately 53 million Americans (one in five) are family caregivers. These individuals provide 35 billion hours of unpaid care annually. Based on conservative estimates, the annual cost of this care ranges from $470 to $522 billion.
There is increasing attention on caregiving as a social determinant of health, an important consideration in Appalachia. Caregivers in the region often face obstacles in accessing services for themselves and their care recipients. Dr. Southerland states, "States play a critical role and are being called upon to develop robust plans to support caregivers, which include strengthening equitable access to care and community resources."