STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
_____
JOINT RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN
MAINE
WHEREAS, Americans are living longer than ever before, and Maine is on the leading
edge of this trend; and
WHEREAS, Mainers are predictably living healthy, productive lives into their 80s, 90s
and 100s; and
WHEREAS, the majority of older Mainers wish to remain in their homes and communities
as they age; and
WHEREAS, a quarter of older adults will need care and support as they age, and the
majority of them will want to receive this care in their homes and communities; and
WHEREAS, eighty-three percent of the help provided to older adults in the United States
comes from family members, friends or other unpaid caregivers, and nearly half of all
caregivers who provide help to older adults do so for someone with Alzheimer's disease or
another dementia; and
WHEREAS, a family caregiver can be a spouse, partner, adult child, other relative, friend
or neighbor who has a significant relationship with, and who provides a broad range of
assistance to, an adult dealing with the challenges of age, illness, injury or chronic or disabling
conditions; and
WHEREAS, currently, there are 166,000 family caregivers in Maine; and
WHEREAS, family caregivers in Maine provide an estimated 155,000,000 hours of
unpaid care annually, which can be valued at nearly $2,920,000,000; and
WHEREAS, family caregivers spend, on average, more than $7,200 out of pocket
annually in caring for their loved ones; and
WHEREAS, approximately 51,000 family caregivers in Maine are caring for a loved one
with Alzheimer's disease, providing an estimated 87,000,000 hours of unpaid care annually at
a value of $1,911,000,000; and
WHEREAS, dementia caregiving involves many hours over a long period of time, and the
demands of dementia caregiving often result in physical and mental health problems among
caregivers themselves; and
WHEREAS, the demand for family caregivers will increase as the United States
population ages, and the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease will continue to rise significantly,
nearly doubling by 2050; and
WHEREAS, the Maine State Legislature has passed various provisions into law in support
of family caregivers, including the Alzheimer's disease and related dementia state plan, the
Respite for ME program and the paid family and medical leave benefits program; and
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 WHEREAS, family caregivers often work full-time or part-time while providing care for
a loved one, while others are forced to leave the workforce, for a period of time or permanently,
to provide care; and
WHEREAS, Maine is missing out on over $1,000,000,000 per year in additional economic
activity as a result of family caregivers dropping out of the labor force due to care challenges;
and
WHEREAS, the ratio of potential family caregivers to the growing number of those who
need care has already begun a steep decline; and
WHEREAS, the number of personal support specialists, certified nursing assistants,
personal care attendants and home health aides cannot meet the current or projected demand
for care in Maine, and this shortage results in family caregivers leaving the workforce
temporarily or permanently; and
WHEREAS, the lack of available supports and services for older people, such as Meals
on Wheels, Adult Day Services and housing with services, challenges older people who wish
to remain at home and their caregivers to find the help they need; and
WHEREAS, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report that
the need to recognize and support family caregivers is the most significantly overlooked
challenge facing the United States; and
WHEREAS, Maine must find ways to support family caregivers in their efforts to provide
care to loved ones, allowing Maine citizens to safely and comfortably age in their own homes,
helping to preserve communities and avoiding the expense of institutional care; now, therefore,
be it
RESOLVED: That We, the Members of the One Hundred and Thirty-second Legislature
now assembled in the First Regular Session, on behalf of the people we represent, support the
review of state policies and programs for their effectiveness in addressing the needs of family
caregivers, professional caregivers and the loved ones they care for and recognize February 21,
2025 as National Caregivers Day; and be it further
RESOLVED: That a suitable copy of this resolution, duly authenticated by the Secretary
of State, be transmitted to the Department of Health and Human Services.
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