I recently attended a national academic conference for student veterans. The halls were brimming with many of the conversations one would expect for a group like this: veteran benefits, school enrollment, scholarship opportunities, job opportunities, diversity and inclusion. I staffed a table at the expo hall for a day where I met a student veteran who became the memorable moment of the conference for me.

This particular student was a new veteran caring for her spouse (also a veteran) and their young children. This student had felt little support or understanding in her academic journeys. In fact, by the time our conversation was over, she was overwhelmed when finding out that the supports she needed actually existed.

Her experience was so different from my own journey in my graduate education. I openly discussed my caregiving role as I finished my MFA. I recalled how I looked for the supports I knew that I needed to complete the degree. However, I had been advocating for caregivers for a very long time so it was second nature for me to know where to reach out.

This memorable student made me recall that not everyone knows where to look for support in their caregiver role. I also realized it was time to have a conversation about an often overlooked student -- the caregiving student.

So here begins the conversation -- how is your institution supporting military-affiliated students who are caregivers?

What is a Student Caregiver?

A caregiver is an individual, often unpaid, that helps a loved one with their medical care. Some help is readily apparent -- as when a care recipient is in a wheelchair. Other caregiving isn’t immediately clear -- such as medication management, orientation, and medical coordination. All caregiving is exceedingly important. 

A student caregiver is an enrolled student who is also performing caregiving tasks for a sibling, child, parent, or other loved one. No matter the caregiving situation, caregiving students come with a variety of situations that may need extra support to succeed academically. They may generate the sole or primary income of their household. They may need to bring their care recipient to live with them on campus. They may need to be present at the medical appointments of their care recipient. Due to these needs, we should strive to identify enrolled caregiving students at our institutions.

How to Identify a Student Caregiver?

Caregivers come with plenty of extra responsibility, but they do not come with a name tag to make them easy to recognize. Identification of this student population is made more challenging by the fact that many caregivers don’t identify as being in a caregiving role. Many will assume that their extra duties and needs are, indeed, normal. Because for them, that is the case. 

However, in order for any institution to provide the needed supports for caregiving students, identification is the key first step. An option for identification could be to add a distinguishing question during the enrollment process. Due to the hesitancy, or inability, of many to self-identify, it may also need to be a series of screening questions. 

Supporting the Basic Needs

Housing: Housing is one of the first necessities of any student. For a caregiving student, housing becomes even more complicated. This is even more troublesome in non-spousal caregiving. For instance, a child caring for a parent. For these situations, is family housing available? Is that housing accessible, or at least adaptable, for multiple disability needs? Visual doorbells, braille markings, wheelchair friendly, lowered kitchen counters, and roll-in showers, just to name some considerations? And are all the bedrooms in the unit adapted, instead of just one?

Food: Remember that caregiving students are often the sole or primary income for their family unit, which means that becoming a student requires resituating and slimming down the household budget. The family may receive some small stipend from SSDI or Veteran Affairs, but these are not normally enough to support one or two people. Food is a basic necessity but also one of the first victims when budgets must be cut. Offering an on campus food pantry can eliminate some of this pressure of food scarcity. An institution may also consider offering caregiving students an ability to buy a meal program, or reduced-priced meals, for their care recipient during their time enrolled. Consideration should also be given to these populations if they must work or stay on campus through traditional breaks.

Other On Campus Resources 

The basic needs of students who are also caregiving extend beyond just housing and food. Think of other resources campuses may be able to provide for caregiving students. 

• Flexible on-campus work to help supplement incomes for the caregiving student.
• The ability to add a care recipient insurance plan.
• Mental health supports for both the enrolled student and their care recipient. 
• A peer-to-peer caregiving support group or network. 
• A clothing closet where students can find free or discounted clothing, for themselves and dependents.
• Priority enrollment in any daycare or model school options your institution offers for the caregiver’s children.
• Technical stipends or grants to help cover the cost of technology needs and/or technology fees.

Academic Specific Needs

Once a caregiving student has their basic needs covered, the student can enroll and attend. But what does a student, who is also caregiving, need to succeed in their studies?

Education and understanding of caregiving situations is always a key to success. Consider training for staff and professors on caregiving students and their challenges. Many professors and staff may not realize that the 19-year-old in front of them is responsible for their family member. Awareness allows staff and professors to recognize and understand the situation in order to offer key supports. Holding symposiums of CEU opportunities for staff and faculty on this dynamic might support the awareness. PsychArmour is one non-profit that offers some excellent on-line learning opportunities.

Caregiving students may have trouble working their class schedule around a care recipient’s medical care. Priority registration, virtual learning, and independent studies are ways to ensure that a student has the flexibility to attend class. If an institution has a nursing college, it may think about piloting a program for on-campus home-health (in university housing) or drop-off (at the college) to help caregiving students. This would alleviate missed classes due to caregiving needs as well. 

Military-affiliated caregiving students also need complete access and support to the veteran’s office so that they are aware of all supports and benefits that may be available to them such as tuition waivers or support networks. This open access also ensures that all military-related forms required for stipends and insurance are submitted appropriately and on-time for these students. During enrollment, make certain that military-affiliated students know that the veteran’s office is available for them. It will provide relief to know that they have help with the sometimes overwhelming paperwork.

Caregiving students are masters at balancing work and life. It is always beneficial to consider options that allow caregiving students to maintain balance in their favor. Consider allowing flexible periods of full-time caregiving to count as internships. This will help balance a class-load and help the student keep full-time student status during any increased medical need of their recipient. Or perhaps, allow a student’s caregiving to count toward required or optional volunteer hours required by the institution. Also, it might be beneficial to partner with caregiver non-profits to build scholarships for students who are also caregiving.

While deciding to attend college is a step that many prospective students consider “normal,” the uniqueness of the caregiver student dynamic can discourage the caregiver’s choice to further their education. As institutions that thrive on diversity, equity, and inclusion, it behooves institutions to consider how they can support the unique situations and make the college path something that is less intimidating, stressful, and daunting for these prospective students. 

Article Topics

Military Educational Benefits Military Friendly Institutions Serving Military in HigherEd Veterans Academic Success Workplace Inclusion

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