WEDNESDAY, Sept. 25, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Millions of Americans are caring for veterans, putting their finances and their mental health on the line to help those who have served the country.

More than 14 million Americans now provide daily care to wounded, sick or injured military service members or veterans, a new study finds.

And data show that care is taking its toll.

More than 40% of caregivers for younger veterans 60 or under meet criteria for probable depression, researchers found.

Further, one-third thought they need mental health care but don’t receive it, mainly because they don’t have the time, results show.

Caregivers also reported spending more than $8,500 out-of-pocket each year helping veterans, researchers found, and their care made them forgo $4,000 a year in additional income.

Those costs could be why one-third of military or veteran caregivers report incomes below 130% of the federal poverty line, researchers said.

“Military and veteran caregivers are family members who do this out of love and obligation, but they are also friends and neighbors who are taking on these duties out of caring and kindness,” said lead researcher Rajeev Ramchand, a senior behavioral scientist at RAND Corp., a nonprofit research organization.

“Care recipients benefit from the work these caregivers do, and caregivers benefit as well. But caregiving is not without its costs, both financial and emotional,” Ramchand added in a RAND news release.

Caregivers of military service members and veterans often help them eat and walk, assist them in managing their mental health problems, administer medications and prepare meals. They can also provide transportation to medical appointments, pharmacies and grocery stores.

For this study, researchers surveyed caregivers and veterans across the United States.

The resulting report, “America’s Military and Veteran Caregivers: Hidden Heroes Emerging from the Shadows,” found there are many more caregivers than highlighted in previous research.

Why the difference? In the latest study, people were asked whether they perform specific caregiving activities instead of whether they consider themselves a caregiver.

Based on that, researchers concluded that more than 40% of American adults are providing some type of caregiving to wounded, ill or injured people.

More than half of military/veteran caregivers live in the Southern or Western states and in urban areas, results show. Texas, California and Florida each have more than 1 million such caregivers.

About 5.5% of American adults — 14.3 million people — act as caregivers to service members and veterans, results show. Three-quarters care for people older than 60.

These caregivers are most often children caring for aging fathers, or spouses caring for a husband, researchers said. Around 40% of these caregivers are also caring for a child.

Caregivers for veterans don’t get much support from work. Fewer than half are offered workplace accommodations that could help, and 27% experience blowback from their caregiving like cutbacks on work hours.

Half of caregivers to younger veterans and service members say they have no one to turn to for support, a feeling shared by 40% of those caring for vets 60 and older.

The report recommends expanding access to mental health and substance use treatment for caregivers, as well as increasing opportunities for caregivers to receive financial support for the work they perform.

Health care providers can help by smoothing things for caregivers, the report added. For example, 39% of caregivers said they have hassles with health care, such as reminding staff to do things or managing delays in paperwork.

More information

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has more on caregiver support.

SOURCE: RAND Corp., news release, Sept. 24, 2024

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