County Funds Caregiver Support for 250,000 Residents

Franklin County Board of Commissioners I Franklin County Office on Aging

Franklin County will expand support services for unpaid family caregivers after the Board of Commissioners approved a $191,891 grant contract with the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging on June 2, 2026. 

The funding flows through the National Family Caregiver Support Program and gives the Franklin County Office on Aging resources to provide direct services to unpaid caregivers, older adults, and kinship caregivers across the county. 

The scale of need is significant. An AARP study cited during the session found that roughly one in four Ohio adults serves as a family caregiver, totaling approximately 2.2 million Ohioans providing largely unpaid and often unsupported care. With roughly one in nine Ohioans living in Franklin County, that translates to an estimated 250,000 county residents in caregiving roles. 

The population carries a disproportionate financial and personal burden. More than half of Ohio caregivers are also working full- or part-time, while nearly a third are providing care for both an older adult and a child under 18 at the same time. Nearly a third live in households earning under $50,000 annually. 

The Franklin County Office on Aging served 72 families through caregiver support services in 2025, a 3 percent increase from 2024. This grant authorizes continued and expanded service delivery for the 2026 calendar year. 

Resolution 0354-26 passed unanimously and supports Goal 9 of the Rise Together Blueprint.