{"id":1885,"date":"2025-06-03T10:27:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T02:27:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/?p=1885"},"modified":"2025-06-03T10:27:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T02:27:13","slug":"millions-of-kids-now-care-for-aging-and-disabled-relatives-and-their-numbers-are-expected-to-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/?p=1885","title":{"rendered":"Millions of Kids Now Care for Aging and Disabled Relatives \u2014 And Their Numbers Are Expected to Rise"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

#YoungCaregivers #FamilyCaregiving #MedicaidCuts #Parkinsons #StudentCaregivers #EducationAndCaregiving #HealthPolicy #HomeCareCrisis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A New Generation of Caregivers: Children Stepping Up at Home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In households across America, millions of children and teenagers are quietly stepping into adult roles \u2014 becoming primary caregivers for parents, grandparents, or other loved ones facing chronic illnesses or disabilities. With potential cuts to Medicaid looming, experts warn that the number of child caregivers will likely grow in the years ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joshua Yang: Student, Son, and Caregiver<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In St. Paul, Minnesota, 18-year-old high school senior Joshua Yang<\/strong> began caring for his mother at just 15, after a devastating car crash left her with Parkinson\u2019s disease, triggered by traumatic brain injuries. As the oldest sibling in a household with two younger sisters and a stepfather who works nights, Joshua quickly became his mom\u2019s primary caregiver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had to let go of sports, debate club, and even saw my grades drop,\u201d Yang said. \u201cEverything fell on me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a brief time, Yang received some relief. A personal care nurse provided equipment and guidance, and he was able to earn $1,000 a month through a caregiving agency. But that support ended when insurance changes cut off his mother\u2019s benefits. He soon found himself calling Medicaid from the back of class<\/strong>, navigating a bureaucratic maze just to access basic care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Impact of Policy on Young Caregivers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

More than 5.4 million children in the U.S.<\/strong> are estimated to serve as caregivers. If proposed federal Medicaid cuts<\/strong> move forward, experts say the number will climb, putting additional strain on young people who already face serious emotional, physical, and educational setbacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHome- and community-based services are on the chopping block,\u201d said economist Andrew Olenski<\/strong> of Lehigh University. These programs, though less costly than institutional care, are not federally required. If eliminated, families will have little choice but to rely on unpaid help \u2014 often from the children in the household.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Emotional and Academic Toll<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While some young caregivers report increased maturity and confidence, the majority face harsh trade-offs. Studies show that they suffer from higher rates of anxiety, depression, and poor physical health<\/strong>, often due to poor sleep, irregular meals, and chronic stress. Academically, caregiving students spend less time in school and on homework compared to their peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A national study revealed that high schoolers who care for a sick or disabled family member spend 42 fewer minutes daily on education<\/strong> and 31 fewer minutes in class<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Schools Begin to Respond<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some school systems are starting to recognize and support these hidden caregivers. In Rhode Island<\/strong>, nearly 29% of middle and high school students<\/strong> said they care for a family member \u2014 a statistic that led the state\u2019s education department to mandate caregiving policies in every school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Apprenticeship Exploration School<\/strong> in Cranston, Principal Lindsey Tavares<\/strong> was stunned when nearly half of her students identified as caregivers. Now, her staff proactively checks in when students miss class or fall behind, knowing caregiving may be the cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t fix every situation,\u201d said Tavares, \u201cbut we can offer flexibility, resources, and support to help these students graduate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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National Programs and the Need for Awareness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Organizations like the American Association for Caregiving Youth<\/strong> are helping fill the gap, offering emotional support, caregiving training, and resources such as overnight camps for student caregivers. Over 700 students<\/strong> participated this year in the association\u2019s Caregiving Youth Project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Julia Belkowitz<\/strong>, a pediatrician and caregiving researcher, emphasized the importance of visibility: \u201cKids need to know they\u2019re not alone. And policymakers need to know these children are doing real work that impacts their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Looking Ahead<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For Joshua Yang, the decision to attend community college<\/strong> was a practical one \u2014 staying close to home allows him to continue caring for his mom. But he\u2019s hopeful. His younger sisters, now 12 and 13, are beginning to help more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re growing into the role,\u201d he said. \u201cWe all know we\u2019re the most important people in our mom\u2019s life \u2014 and that means we help each other, too.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

#YoungCaregivers #FamilyCaregiving #MedicaidCuts #Parkinsons #StudentCaregivers #EducationAndCaregiving #HealthPolicy #HomeCareCrisis A New Generation of Caregivers: Children Stepping Up at Home In households across America, millions of children and teenagers are quietly stepping into adult roles \u2014 becoming primary caregivers for parents, grandparents, or other loved ones facing chronic illnesses or disabilities. With potential cuts to Medicaid looming, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"saved_in_kubio":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1885"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1885\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1886,"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1885\/revisions\/1886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}