Boca Seniors Lift Up “Back to School” Child Caregivers
Boca Raton, FL – Instead of being excited for new backpacks and clothes, these Boca Raton kids will head back to school with anxiety over who will take care for their sick mom, dad or grandparent.
Even though they’re just children themselves, more than 10,000 kids in Palm Beach County are caregivers to ill, disabled or aging family members. Some caregivers are as young as 8 years old!
They change IVs, clean feeding tubes, monitor meds, give baths, make dinner — all while going to elementary and high school.
This Thursday, a Boca Raton retirement community will be holding a Back-to-School event to support these child caregivers. The seniors want to give back to the children who take care of the elderly!
* About 40 children, ages 8-18, who are part of American Association of Caring Youth will attend.
* They will be treated like celebrities! From a photo op to walking the red carpet. (Many of these kids live on food stamps and this is a first-time experience.)
* Food stations will come with recipe cards so kids can recreate the meals at home.
* Culinary team will donate yummy blueberry oatmeal bread for the children to take home and share with their loved ones.
* Local libraries, hospital and corporate sponsors are also setting up giveaways and surprises!
With the school dropout rate for child caregivers so high, this is a great way to kick start the new school year and support these children in their success! *Nationwide 22% of young adults who dropped out of high school for personal reasons said they dropped out to care for a family member. With support these students have a greater than 97 percent graduation rate. A few caregiving youth will speak at the event.
When: Thursday (July 26th ) 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Where: Edgewater at Boca Pointe
Interview Possibilities:
- Child caregivers (about 40 attending)
- Rosemarie Krieger, resident of Edgewater at Boca Pointe, who is an active volunteer and donor for 20 years.
- Connie Siskowski, Founder of American Association of Caring Youth (recognized as a CNN Hero)
Background info on Child Caregivers:
Yes, 8-Year-Old Caregivers Exist: https://health.usnews.com/health-care/for-better/articles/2018-04-25/yes-8-year-old-caregivers-exist
Boca Teen Caregiver’s story: https://www.wptv.com/news/region-c-palm-beach-county/west-palm-beach/boca-raton-teenage-caregivers-story-spreads-around-country-
