Dr. Connie Siskowski founded the Florida-based American Association of Caregiving Youth to meet the needs of eight to eighteen-year-olds who sacrifice their health, education and childhoods to care for relatives or household members who are ill, disabled or elderly, or battling other conditions such as substance abuse. In this episode, Connie talks about how caring for her grandfather as a child affected her own adolescence, the history of the AACY and its programs and services aimed at students and their families. She also explains how the economy and changing structure of the family is affecting youth caregivers and why this demographic—estimated at 1.4 million in the US—is often overlooked in conversations about care.
Learn more about the American Association of Caregiving Youth: www.aacy.org
Call the AACY: 800-508-9618
Music: “There’s a Special Place for Some People” by Chris Zabriskie | CC BY | Free Music Archive
Scattered: My Year As An Accidental Caregiver is available in paperback and eBook at
