Adults are not the only ones shouldering the responsibilities of caregiving in the
One-third of the young caregivers help with medications, and nearly two-thirds help someone with the day-to-day activities of living, such as getting dressed, eating and going to the bathroom. There are just as many boys as girls providing assistance.
Support groups for these children—many of whom say their roles as caregivers both enrich and stress their lives—has been practically nonexistent. However, Nurse Connie Siskowski, director of a new advocacy group called the American Association of Caregiving Youth, wants to change that. In a report by National Public Radio, she discusses how, as a child, she cared for her grandfather, sometimes giving him medication. She says for many years she even felt partly responsible for his death. With this experience behind her, she says she understands firsthand the importance of providing support to young caregivers. To read more, please go here.
