November is National Family Caregivers Month. I couldn’t let the month close without a shout-out to caregivers everywhere.
Rosalynn Carter, the former first lady, said it perfectly, “There are only four kinds of people in the world — those who have been caregivers, those who are caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.”
The National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and AARP have released a major report, Caregiving in the US 2025. They report that 63 million Americans are providing care today. And, 29% of family caregivers are sandwich caregivers caring for an adult and a child under 18 at home.
Image by Marcelo Russo de Oliveira – Coffee Tips Welcome from Pixabay
Family caregivers form the invisible backbone of American communities. Sixty-three million American adults provide ongoing care to adults or children with a medical condition or disability—representing almost one-quarter of all adults in the United States. This represents a dramatic increase of 45% since 2015.
Of these 63 million caregivers, 59 million care for an adult with a complex medical condition or disability. Meanwhile, an estimated 91 million Americans care for children under 18, creating a vast continuum of care. Sixteen million are in the sandwich generation – balancing care for both adults and children at the same time.
On average, caregivers now spend 27 hours per week providing care—a substantial commitment that often rivals or exceeds part-time work. Nearly one-quarter (24 percent) provide 40 or more hours of care weekly, equivalent to a full-time job, while an additional 11 percent provide between 21-40 hours per week.
Many caregivers juggle these responsibilities while managing their own lives, often sacrificing personal time, finances, and well-being. Research shows caregivers are at higher risk for stress, burnout, and health concerns.
Caregiving in the US 2025: You may want to take a look at the state-by-state data. Caring Across States compiles the state data profiles and couples them with an executive summary highlighting key insights and emerging trends, revealing how caregiving experiences and supports vary state by state.
Working Too?
One day, we’ll crack the code for all employees to be understood and for all employers to understand the impact of caregiving while working. Take a look at the statistics to see how pervasive this is.
- Seventy percent of working-age caregivers are employed while also providing care.
- Balancing paid work and care can be a challenge; half of working family caregivers report going in late, leaving early, or taking time off from work to provide care. Caregiving while working distracts from work, reducing job performance; leads to turning down extra assignments and promotions; and may lead to leaving the workforce.
- Working caregivers more often report feeling alone and facing financial difficulty than nonworking caregivers.
- Caregivers’ access to benefits that might help them balance their responsibilities at work and home is increasing, but access to workplace benefits is higher among salaried workers.
- Seventy percent of working-age caregivers, ages 18 to 64, worked while also caregiving.
Awareness
One of my mottos is “Care for People, Care for Business”. Life happens. When an organization cares for its people and backs that up with support services, retention, motivation, and overall satisfaction increase.
To help raise awareness of ways to manage the emotional toll and provide practical tools, my friend Lucy Seligman and I will be hosting a 4 Part Weekly Workshop Series in the New Year. We’re calling it “Caught in the Middle.” Save the dates January 14th – February 4th at 9 am Pacific Time, noon Eastern.
Know I’m here if you have questions about how you can plan for contingencies. Book a Time with Lynn for a complimentary 30-minute Zoom with me. If you prefer to Email, pop me a note.
Check out an overview of what I do @ The Living Planner or @ The Living Planner. If pre-planning is on your agenda, my book is a helpful resource: The Living Planner What to Prepare Now While You Are Living © Check it out HERE.
Quote for the week: “Compassion is the wish to see others free from suffering.” – Dalai Lama
May your days be filled with joy and laughter. Lynn
#CantPredictCanPrepare #CareForPeopleCareForBusiness