As baby boomers move up in years, the need for caregiver<\/a>s grows larger.\u00a0 Included in this population of caregivers is one demographic unknown to most of us.\u00a0 These are the\u00a0youth ages 8-18 who help look after a loved one in poor health or disabled and there are about 1.3-1.4 million of them.<\/p>\n 60% of these young caregivers remarked that care giving had negative impacts on their performance and attendance at school.\u00a0\u00a0 In fact, a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation<\/a> study found that 22% of high school dropouts attribute caring for a family member to leaving school.<\/p>\n Many of the young caregivers mention feeling isolated from their friends because there was no time for after-school interaction.\u00a0 Some cited lack of support from school personnel.\u00a0 For these students, being labeled\u00a0as a slacker because they fall asleep or are inattentive in class is common.<\/p>\n A youthful community the size of\u00a0San Diego, care for grandparents, parents and other (more…)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As baby boomers move up in years, the need for caregivers grows larger.\u00a0 Included in this population of caregivers is one demographic unknown to most of us.\u00a0 These are the\u00a0youth ages 8-18 who help look after a loved one in…<\/span><\/p>\n