The Oklahoma Eagle Newswire
OKLAHOMA CITY – State Rep. Regina Goodwin received the AARP “Capitol Caregiver” award at the Capitol on Thursday, March 8, 2018.
The award is given to elected officials who advance policies benefitting family caregivers. Goodwin was honored because of her work on last session’s House Bill 1357, which expands locations of caregiver services in a cost-neutral manner throughout Oklahoma.
“I am honored to be this year’s recipient of the Capitol Caregiver Award,” said Goodwin. “House Bill 1357 helps us to better care for our loved ones by ensuring that more Oklahomans have greater access to caregivers.”
Goodwin is among a bi-partisan, nationwide group of state legislators and governors from several states named “Capitol Caregivers” for advancing policies to help family caregivers who are making it possible for thousands of Americans to continue living independently at home.
“This year, Oklahoma’s 524,000 family caregivers will spend an estimated 488 million hours providing unpaid care which is worth $6 billion,” said AARP Oklahoma State Director Sean Voskuhl. “We appreciate legislators, like Representative Goodwin, who recognize the many unsung heroes who provide care, day in and day out, for their loved ones and work to ensure they are better equipped to provide the care necessary in the future.”
Caregivers help with bathing and dressing, meal preparation, managing finances, transportation, grocery shopping and more. Today, family caregivers also perform medical tasks once only handled by doctors and nurses like wound care, injections, nebulizers and complex medication management.
