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Connecticut paid leave can help 'solo agers' and their caregivers, guest says
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Summary
On the CT Paid Leave podcast, entrepreneur Jill Kovalich described 'solo agers'—people age 50+ living without a partner or nearby family—and said Connecticut paid leave's caregiver-by-affinity rules can let chosen family or neighbors provide paid caregiving support.
Nancy Barrow, host of the CT Paid Leave podcast, interviewed Connecticut entrepreneur Jill Kovalich on how the state paid-leave program can help people who are aging alone.
Kovalich, who founded the online resource hub SoloAgers Connect, said solo agers are “people 50 who are aging alone” and often lack an immediate family caregiver. She described a range of life paths into that status—never married, divorced, widowed, or having a partner in a care facility—and said many solo agers worry about who will provide care if they become ill or homebound.
Why it matters: Connecticut’s paid-leave program provides time away from work or pay replacement to arrange or provide care. On the podcast, Kovalich said that benefit is particularly important for solo agers because it “gives you that ability to take time away or have a caregiver come and give you the support that you need,” helping both the caregiver’s and the recipient’s mental and physical health.
Kovalich also emphasized that Connecticut’s caregiver definition can include non-blood relationships, allowing a neighbor or chosen family member to serve as the paid caregiver for a solo ager. “It doesn't have to be a blood relative,” the host noted while discussing the program’s caregiver-by-affinity feature.
Context and numbers: Kovalich cited nation- and state-level demographic trends to show the scale of the issue. She said there are roughly 17,000,000 solo agers across the United States and estimated “a quarter of 1,000,000 solo agers just in Connecticut,” noting that her Connecticut figure was based on older age brackets and that the population would be larger if counted from age 50.
Practical implications: Kovalich urged solo agers and caregivers to research available benefits and to use paid leave to reduce caregiver burnout and provide better care. She recommended pairing paid-leave use with community supports—social groups, rotating check-in calls and vetted service providers—that her site lists.
Quotes from the episode: Kovalich said, “They give you that ability to take time away or have a caregiver come and give you the support that you need.” On the caregiver definition she noted, according to the program, that caregiving “doesn't have to be a blood relative.”
What’s next: The podcast directs listeners seeking benefits or applications to ctpaidleave.org. Barrow closed the episode urging listeners to subscribe for future episodes and to consult state resources for eligibility and application details.
