Marg Helgenberger Wants to Bring ‘Needed Relief’ to the Nation’s Family Caregivers

At the time of her dad’s diagnosis, Helgenberger had just graduated from college and moved to New York for her first professional acting role on the soap opera Ryan’s Hope. She and her two siblings, their mother, a school nurse and helpful friends and neighbors in their close-knit small town cobbled together care for her wheelchair-bound dad. Helgenberger made regular trips back to Nebraska and assisted financially with care.

She recalls how a local Jaycees group held a fundraiser to buy her “well-liked” father a van with a wheelchair-assisted lift, and thanks to her new acting gig, she was able to contribute half of the cost. She also helped with at-home medical tasks, including assisting her father with a catheter. “I didn’t really have much embarrassment about it, but I know he felt shameful,” she says.

Over time her dad deteriorated. He lost the strength to swallow and needed more care than their little team could provide. Her mom — a devout Catholic — was advised to obtain a divorce so she would not be legally liable for his mounting healthcare bills; Hugh could qualify for full-time nursing care while she continued working.

“For my mother to leave her job — there would be no money whatsoever,” Helgenberger explains. “And sadly, [getting divorced] was what she had to do.” Helgenberger’s dad died in 1985 from complications of MS; he was 50. Kay later remarried and passed away in 2021.

Reflecting on her own journey, Helgenberger feels strongly that advocacy efforts in Congress and the stories that the entertainment industry can tell will help shed light on the challenges facing family caregivers across the U.S. “I absolutely have hope that through this group of folks and The Creative Coalition we can [make a difference],” she says.

Marg Helgenberger and other celebrities join AARP's Nancy LeaMond, executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer, on Capitol Hill.

Cheriss May for AARP