MACON, Ga. — Most of the time when people think of caregivers, the image is an adult taking care of youth.
But, according to the AARP U.S. 2020 Report, there are 3.4 million children under the age of 18 years who are assisting with the care of others.
A Middle Georgia State University Assistant Professor created a short documentary film to highlight one youth caregiver. Lauren Cater spent more than a decade caring for her mother.
"Helping her eat, getting dressed, bathing, anything like that," she said.
When she was 10, her mother had an accident that left her paralyzed from the chest down. Cater says when children provide care, they may possibly need more help when it comes to schooling and rest.
Cater's work features communities often overlooked by society. With her personal experience, she wants to highlight another story about a youth caregiver.
"I think films have an ability to give visuals to what people don't have visuals for yet," she said.
In her documentary film 'Daniel & Nate,' she follow Daniel for three years of his life as he assists with taking care of his younger brother Nate, who has autism.
"His brother is nonverbal, so he needs a lot of things done for him. He also needs to be watched 24/7," she said.
With this film, Cater wants to bring awareness to the topic of youth caretaking by showing a typical day for Daniel and Nate.
"Dealing with the ideas of being tired. Wanting to have more of a social life, feeling like he is almost like a parent to his brother which he takes a lot of pride in, but also the concern of what his future means with this brother," she said.
The film will be featured in the Miami Film Festival and the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Montana. In addition to screening at festivals, she hopes to introduce the film to schools so there's another outlet for kids to receive help.
Cater says there's a lot more youth caregivers than people realize.
"Help prevent issues like early drop out, struggling with school and balancing, and even mental health and things like that," she said.
The visibility Cater provides in her film is something she says she wishes she would have seen when she was a kid.
"If you actually can see it in a film. You see what it looks like for a youth to actually physically lift somebody, feed someone, bathe someone. To actually see those actions and realize that's what it looks like," she said.
She plans on making a feature film on a similar topic. You can stream 'Daniel & Nate' through the Big Sky Festival by clicking on this link.
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