Members of a statewide task force with a goal of improving caregiving in Wisconsin say some themes are emerging from the meetings they’ve had so far.
"The way that caregiving really looks in Wisconsin right now is there’s about 578,000 family caregivers that are providing more than 538 million hours of unpaid care. In Wisconsin more than 80 percent of care is actually provided by family members," said Lisa Pugh, one of the co-chairs of the task force.
Pugh said they are trying to find ways to relieve the stress that can come along with being an unpaid caregiver.
There are also challenges with family care workers, who are paid to provide care.
"We have a pretty significant shortage of those folks across the state. When we survey folks who need care including the elderly and disabled about 80 percent say they can’t find the help that they need," Pugh said.
The challenge with paid family care workers is paying them wages and benefits that will support a family.
The task force has been meeting since September in Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay. It will hold more meetings in the new year in the places that are yet to be determined.
The group is planning to issue a report and make suggestions that could be implemented in the 2021-22 state budget by next November.