AUGUSTA, Ga (WJBF)- Recently the Georgia Senate Rules Committee passed a bipartisan resolution that would establish a study committee to work towards improving caregiver services in the state.
More than a million people in Georgia are caregivers for a family member, whether that person is elderly, or disabled and unable to care for themselves at all.
Many of them have to handle difficult medical tasks, like giving injections and medications and bathing an adult who can’t do it themselves. They also spend a lot of time and energy advocating for their loved one and coordinating with complicated insurance plans.
Taking care of someone who can’t care for themselves can have a profound impact on the finances and mental health of the caregiver.
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Senator Harold Jones II (District 22) is sponsoring the resolution and he said it’s important to him because he’s been there.
“Five years ago now, we brought my father home from a massive stroke. And we were kinda like– me and my mom were kinda like ‘Well what do we do now?’ And so that spurred me to start researching this particular issue about caregiving, because there’s so many different ways you have to navigate it,” he explained.