Regulatory solutions for the national caregiving youth crisis: Insights from the global experience

Abstract

Over 53 million people in the United States provide unpaid care for individuals of all ages, including the elderly, chronically ill, and/or disabled. Additionally, 5.4 million caregivers are youth under the age of 18. Together, they deliver an estimated $600 billion in unpaid care annually, which is three times the amount Medicaid spends on professional long-term care. Few alternatives exist for families in the private and public sectors; even when options are available, they can often be unaffordable. The situation in the United States reflects a global crisis having business and economic implications. Unpaid adult caregiving frequently disrupts jobs and increases absenteeism, creating a trickle-down effect on caregiving youth who must act as adult substitutes and suffer comparable hardships. The United Kingdom enacted legislation addressing “youth carers,” but implementation has proven largely ineffective. This paper examines global service frameworks and policies addressing caregiving youth, employing a policy analysis research methodology, and proposes regulatory solutions based on insights from international experiences.