A record 63 million Americans – nearly one in four adults – now provide care to an adult with health or functional needs, or to a child with a serious medical condition or disability.
That’s according to Caregiving in the U.S. 2025, a new report from AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving.
What’s most alarming? The number of family caregivers has surged by 45% over the past decade, rising from 43.5 million in 2015 to 53 million in 2020 — and now to 63 million.
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Among the 63 million family caregivers, a growing number are part of the so-called “sandwich generation” — those caring for both children and aging or disabled adults. According to the report, nearly 17 million Americans now fall into this category, accounting for almost one in three family caregivers. That’s a sharp increase from 11 million in 2015.
Some of the key findings:
America’s caregiving crisis is getting worse.
Image source: Bruno Aguirre on Unsplash
The financial toll of family caregiving
According to the report, nearly half of caregivers face major financial consequences, including draining savings, falling into debt, or struggling to afford basic needs like food and housing.
In addition, 8 million family caregivers rely on Medicaid for their own health care coverage, and 11 million family caregivers receive some form of payment through home and community-based services programs.
Caregivers struggle with health and isolation
The demands of caregiving are taking a toll. One in five family caregivers say their own health is fair or poor, and nearly 25% report feeling completely alone. Still, many find meaning in the role — more than half (51%) say caregiving gives them a sense of purpose, despite the challenges.
Family caregivers are providing complex, high-intensity care – with little training
Family caregivers today are doing more than ever before – and often without the training they need, according to the report.
According to the latest data, 65% assist with at least one activity of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, or feeding. More than 30 million Americans now perform complex medical tasks – like managing medications, wound care, and using medical equipment – that were once handled in hospitals or clinics.
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Nearly half (45%) are providing high-intensity care, yet just 11% have received any training for basic caregiving tasks, and only 22% have been trained for complex medical or nursing responsibilities.
Caregiving takes a toll on careers for millions of working Americans
More than 60% of family caregivers are juggling their caregiving responsibilities alongside a job. For many, that balance is difficult to maintain — half of employed caregivers report experiencing disruptions at work, such as reduced hours, taking unpaid leave, or even leaving a job altogether.
Actionable advice for individual caregivers
In a press conference, AARP CEO Myechia Minter-Jordan and National Alliance for Caregiving CEO Jason Resendez discussed what actions caregiver should take in light of the survey’s findings.
Early planning conversations
Don’t wait until crisis hits; discuss long-term care insurance and care preferences early. “I think people need to be thinking about this much earlier than we do, said Minter-Jordan. “Often we wait until things happen, until our older loved ones need our help, and being able to plan ahead of time will help mitigate some of what we’re discussing today.”
She added: “When we think about financial wellness and financial planning, we certainly cannot wait until we’re 65. We certainly cannot wait until we’re 50. And so being able to equip families and having intergenerational discussions around family planning is incredibly important. I had the conversation, my husband and I with my mother-in-law yesterday, does she have long-term care insurance? And we’re late in that discussion. Those are things that should be happening much earlier.”
Seek training
Take advantage of available caregiver training programs. “We’re asking family members to do what used to be done primarily by health care professionals, and we’re giving them almost no preparation to do it,” said Resendez. “Only 11% of family caregivers have received training for basic caregiving tasks for those complex medical and nursing tasks. Just 22% get any training at all.”
Access support services
Use the 211 helpline and local resources. “Just last month, AARP and United Way announced the expansion of our 211 caregiver support line to 10 new states,” said Minter-Jordan. “The program now serves caregivers in 25 states and Puerto Rico reaching over a third of the U.S. population. It connects caregivers, many of them in crisis, with local vetted resources 24/7, regardless of income, background, or zip code.”
Workplace advocacy
Push for caregiver-friendly policies at work. Workplace protections are part of AARP’s advocacy efforts, said Minter-Jordan. “That’s why we are advocating for bold policy solutions, a national paid family and medical leave policy, a federal tax credit to ease out-of-pocket costs, greater access to respite care, training and support services, and stronger workplaces that recognize caregiving responsibilities.”
Self-care planning
Nearly one in two caregivers (47%) now plan for their own future care needs, according to Resendez. “We’ve seen an increase of about 42% in 2015 to 47% of family caregivers report[ing] care planning, long range care planning for themselves,” he said.
Technology solutions for caregivers and recipients of care
Leverage remote monitoring and telehealth to reduce transportation burdens. Technology has a growing role in all things in our lives, but particularly around caregiving, said Minter-Jordan. “The ability to be able to leverage data in the home, some of the health metrics, whether or not there’s blood pressure checking for the oxygen level in the home and being able to transmit that data electronically to a physician office, being able to do more of the health care in the home, leveraging technology, will certainly ease some of the burden.”
She noted, too, that many caregivers suffer with transportation issues. “How do I get my loved one into the office?” asked Minter-Jordan.
Use care coordination apps and wearable devices
“It’s actually one of the trends that we observed over the last five years is more caregivers are utilizing technology to manage the responsibilities of care, particularly as it relates to tracking finances when it comes to wearables, when it comes to using assisted devices,” said Resendez. “So there’s more awareness, more utilization.”
Implement home-based health care technology to enable more care at home
“The more that we can do at home leveraging technology, being able to communicate to our care team, that will certainly help mitigate some of the issues that caregivers face on a daily basis,” Minter-Jordan said.
Additional caregiving resources
- The Medicare Guide program is a new Medicare model specifically designed to support dementia patients and their family caregivers. The program gives dementia care patients access to a 24/7 helpline; pairs them with a care navigator; and supports the family caregiver.
- Effective Jan. 1, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services began reimbursing for Caregiver Training Services (CTS) under Medicare Part B. This allows qualified health care professionals to bill Medicare for time spent training one or more of a traditional Medicare patient’s caregivers.
National policy agenda for caregivers
Caregiving is not just a personal issue, but also a national infrastructure challenge that requires comprehensive policy solutions at federal, state, and local levels, according to AARP and NAC. They are advocating for the following policy changes:
- Establish a national paid family and medical leave program
- Create federal tax credits to offset caregiving expenses
- Expand respite care availability and caregiver support services
- Develop comprehensive training programs for medical and nursing tasks
- Strengthen workplace policies that accommodate caregiving responsibilities
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