Caregiving is much more than backup care. It’s a lifestyle.

Nearly 80% of working caregivers either left their jobs during COVID or are considering leaving their jobs because of difficulty balancing work and caregiving. (Photo: iStock)

It’s easy to think of caregiving as an event: a period of time when you have to care for an aging parent, sick spouse, or child and in which your biggest needs are backup care like a babysitter or a home health aid. But this is a mistake. For more people than ever, caregiving is a lifestyle. More than 50 million Americans are caring for their loved ones while also holding down full- or part-time jobs, and 83% of them have taken on more caregiving responsibilities during the pandemic. These hours of work combined with hours of caregiving create an array of physical, emotional and financial challenges.

While caregiving can be rewarding, the caregiving lifestyle has a profound impact on every corner of the caregiver’s life, including personal relationships, career progression, mental health and much more.