When a family member is seriously ill, unpredictable caregiving needs can make it difficult for employees to juggle their work and home responsibilities. Depending on the illness, caregiving needs might stretch on for many years or even decades while the caregiver simultaneously holds down a job.
Family caregivers represent a wide range of ages, incomes and cultures, so their needs aren't all the same. Some live with the person they are caring for, and others are performing caregiving duties, like attending telehealth appointments, from a long distance away.
"Caregiving is as much a logistical challenge as it is a physical, emotional and financial one," said Lisa D'Ambrosio, a research scientist at the MIT AgeLab in Cambridge, Mass., which studies the experiences of family caregivers. "Seeking information on where you should go for help is a job of its own. It's often one that caregivers find themselves doing alone."
About 24 percent of Americans born from 1957 to 1964 provided elder care, with women providing elder care at a higher rate (27 percent), compared to men (22 percent), according to a 2021 report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Useful Benefits
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