Report Finds Caregiver Economic Value Now Tops $1 Trillion

(Adobe Stock via Prairie News Service)

(By Mike Moen. Prairie News Service) – North Dakotans who put in a lot of unpaid labor caring for a loved one are not alone, as a new national report places the economic value of their work at $1 trillion.

The latest estimate comes from AARP’s policy arm, which factors in contributions from the nation’s 59 million family caregivers. The work includes daily tasks from meals, bathing and dressing to transportation and coordination of medical and social services. Altogether, the authors said mostly unpaid labor represents an average value of just over $20 per hour of care.

Josh Askvig, state director of AARP North Dakota, pointed out for many, the effort comes from a place of love.

“They are the ones that are being called upon to keep their loved ones safe and independent,” Askvig explained. “But it does have an economic toll.”