14.3 Million Americans Are Caring for Ill or Disabled Veteran

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.