AARP Georgia honors 21 state legislators who also serve as family caregivers

ATLANTA—The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Georgia staff recently recognized 21 state legislators who are also family caregivers.   

Rep. Sandy Donatucci (R-105), who cares for her mother, led the recognition from the Georgia House of Representatives floor during the Feb. 19 morning session.  She presented an AARP Georgia poster containing the legislators’ photos and highlighted key statistics about caregiving in Georgia.

The list of state legislators recognized include:

Arlene Beckles

Rhonda Burnough

Park Cannon

Lisa Campbell

Terry Cummings

Viola Davis

Robert Dawson

Sandy Donabucci

Demetrius Douglas

Lydia Glaze

Anissa Jones

Jan Jones

Todd Jones

Karen Mathias

Billy Mitchell

Angie O’Steen

Sam Park

Ruwa Romman

Kim Schofield

Deborah Silcox 

Marie Stinson

“As a family caregiver myself, I understand the toll it can take on a person,” said Alice Bennett, AARP Georgia’s Advocacy Manager.  “AARP saw this as an opportunity to recognize lawmakers for how they show up for families and stand behind policies to serve other caregivers in the community as well.”

There are 63 million family caregivers in the United States who provide essential support that allows loved ones to live safely at home and in the community.  In Georgia, these legislators are among 2.5 million caregivers who serve as a foundation of our nation’s long-term care system, contributing more than a million caregiving hours annually.  Their efforts represent $16.3 billion in unpaid labor, and the average caregiver spends more than $7,000 a year on incidental caregiving costs.   

Last year, Georgia legislators created The Senate Study Committee on Improving Family Caregiver Services to identify policy goals and recommend legislative actions to improve family caregiving.  The Committee released a study containing research from AARP and other sources, such as Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, which listed Georgia among the 24 states that are on the brink of an unpaid family caregiving emergency, which they defined as the point at which the economic value of unpaid caregiving surpasses funds generated by the state’s cornerstone industries.   

In 2022, AARP Georgia led efforts to pass The Georgia Caregiver Act, which requires hospitals to give patients the opportunity to name a lay caregiver to be involved in discharge planning and home care. In recent years, state legislators passed several laws that are beneficial to caregivers, such as The Georgia Family Care Act, which requires employers that offer paid sick leave to allow eligible employees to use up to five days per year of that leave to care for an immediate family member.  

AARP also provides a wide range of caregiving resources—including tools for medical management, financial guidance, and strategies for maintaining work‑life balance. These resources are available at www.aarp.org/caregiving.

Photo courtesy of GS State Capitol Communications Division.