June 21, 2017
Written by Katie Kuhn, United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County
On Tuesday, June 20th, Retire United invited community members to volunteer to help pack Caregiver Support Kits that contain resources and items to aid caregivers in our community. Thanks to the help of over 50 individuals, more than 1,000 kits will be distributed to partner agencies such as Interfaith and ERAs Senior Network Inc.!
In the U.S., approximately 43.5 million individuals provide some form of unpaid care to an adult or child. Caregivers assist another individual with daily living or medical tasks such as shopping, transportation, laundry, feeding or dispensing medication. Caregivers also spend 13 hours per month on average monitoring the care recipient’s condition, researching care services, and communicating with healthcare or finance professionals on behalf of the individual.
United Way provides funding for several older adult support and independence programs. In 2016-2017, 99% of local caregivers who participate in these programs felt supported, 96% received help to access the services they needed to better care for their recipient, and 95% were able to make plans for the future. The 1,000+ Caregiver Support Kits packed by volunteers during Retiree Day of Service will go to reinforce the great work done by United Way’s agency partners.
“I’m a strong believer in volunteerism. United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County gives retirees the chance to give back,” said Dr. Rogers Onick, former principal of Samuel Morse Middle School for the Gifted and Talented and current president of Metropolitan Milwaukee Alliance of Black School Educators. “I came here today because I believe in practicing what I preach.”
Retiree Day of Service is an annual volunteer where local individuals come together to support United Way’s efforts and create resources to improve the well-being of our community. A special thank you to Rockwell Automation for sponsoring this event!
Retired or planning for retirement? Learn more about Retire United
Check out this Q&A with Bev Jurkowski, retired from We Energies, on her favorite things about retirement.