AARP NY: Mid-Hudson Valley Family Caregivers Stressed, Face Waits for Home Services

 ALBANY, N.Y. – As New York State government continues underfunding services that help older adults remain in their homes, family caregivers in the Mid-Hudson Valley are stressed and believe the state should do more, according to a new analysis of an AARP New York survey.

The survey of voters 40 and older in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties paints the same picture as in the rest of the state, where family members shoulder much of the responsibility for keeping an aging loved ones at home, while all too often doing so without the support they need from state government.  

More than half of respondents are currently, caring for or have cared for an older family member, and most others expect to do so in the future. Seven in 10 caregivers said they feel stressed, while just 18% believe New York State offers enough of the home- and community-based services that could alleviate that stress. They listed respite care, financial assistance and care support as top needs.

In the seven-county region, in fact, the State Office for the Aging says more than 2,000 people wait for personal care, transportation and other services the state offers to those not on Medicaid.

Earlier this year, AARP New York called on Governor Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders to add $51 million to the 2024-2025 state budget so county offices for the aging could expand home- and community-based programs offered through the Expanded In-Home Services for the Elderly Program.

The final budget, however, added just $700,000 – essentially restoring an earlier cut, leaving thousands of older adults and their family caregivers without access to home-delivered meals, transportation services, and personal care assistance. AARP New York continues to urge the governor and the state Legislature to make an investment in older adults in the state budget, and fully fund these necessary services so no older adult is left to languish on a waiting list.

“Without a dedicated commitment in Albany, still more families from Yonkers to Kingston will experience more pressure caring for a loved one while balancing jobs, children and other responsibilities,” said AARP New York State Director Beth Finkel. “Older adults want and deserve to stay in their homes and communities. Their spouses and adult children cannot do this alone, and yet year after year our government continues shortchanging them.”

Nearly nine in 10 respondents said they were highly concerned about the quality of care a loved one would receive in a nursing home. But families increasingly recognize the difficulty of keeping a loved one at home.   “I hear about it all the time, people trying their best and feeling alone and tearing their hair out,” said Elana Fine, a social worker in Westchester County who spent a decade as her late mother’s main caregiver. “The challenge of caregiving is really a challenge of meeting the crisis of the moment. It’s really destabilizing and we often have our own health challenges.”

The Hudson Valley report was gleaned from a statewide telephone survey of 1,345 registered voters age 40-plus that AARP New York conducted last fall. Read the full report HERE

Connect with AARP New York on X: @AARPNY and Facebook: AARP New York 

About AARPAARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the more than 100 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name. As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the nation's largest circulation publications, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org/about-aarp/, www.aarp.org/español or follow @AARP, @AARPenEspañol and @AARPadvocates on social media.

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