(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- An organization that advocates for senior citizens is getting behind a measure in Springfield to provide a tax break to caregivers.
The AARP report suggests there are nearly 1.5 million Illinoisans acting as free caregivers for aging family members, usually for a mother or father. They drive them back and forth to medical appointments, buy prescription medication and food for them, as well as do tasks around the house.
“This study shows that, if you had to quantify that hour, it’s about $18 an hour and, to the Illinois economy, it’s about $21 billion," said AARP Illinois’ Lori Hendren, senior associate state director of advocacy and outreach.
She said that if the state had to pick up the tab for providing the kind of caregiving that is now being done for free, it would be very costly.
That’s why AARP is getting behind a legislative proposal by State Rep. Anna Moeller of Elgin, to provide a Family Income Tax Credit for caregivers who spend from their own pockets to take care of older family members.
Hendren pointed out that in some cases, caregivers are spending money on home modifications for their moms or dads or paying out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs.
“State lawmakers are looking at the budget," she explained. "Think of the free care we have millions of people offering and supporting our economy and helping our loved ones stay at home."
Hendren said that nearly half of the 1,300,000 Illinoisans who provide care to older relatives balance that caregiving with outside jobs and taking care of their own immediate families at the same time.
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