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A new AARP study found around 17 percent of Utahns provide unpaid care for a family member, creating an emotional, financial and health toll on those caregivers.

Family caregivers in the state contribute a total of about 490 million hours of care each year. If those workers were paid around $20 an hour, their labor would be valued at nearly $10 billion. Nationally, the amount is more than $1 trillion.

Myechia Minter-Jordan, CEO of AARP, called families the "backbone of the nation's long-term care system."

"That is equal to nearly 24 million full-time workers, or roughly 17 percent of the entire U.S. full-time workforce," Minter-Jordan pointed out. "Caregivers are stretching their finances, sacrificing their own well-being, and too often they are doing it alone."

The study found nearly 600,000 residents in Utah provide care to a family member. AARP estimates more than 60 percent of the state's caregivers are women.

In a virtual news conference last week, Minter-Jordan stressed federal, state and local officials need to provide more services to help family caregivers. She added the report lays out steps lawmakers need to take to support caregivers.

"We are advocating for bold solutions, including a national paid family and medical leave policy, greater respite services and resources, such as those now offered in several states, and state and federal legislation that can bring overdue financial relief," Minter-Jordan outlined.

Utah offers caregiver assistance programs through the Division of Aging and Adult Services, including respite care, training, support groups, and in-home assistance. A third of Utah caregivers report experiencing at least one negative financial impact due to their responsibilities.