Are you balancing work with caregiving responsibilities? If so, you’re not alone.

Approximately 38 million (11.5% of the population) family caregivers devote 36 billion hours of free care to older parents, spouses, partners, and friends.

The number of adults providing care and working outside the household has increased from 1 in 7 in 2020 to 1 in 5 today (2023).

Caregivers face unique challenges that impact their careers and the broader economy. The strain of caregiving affects job retention, career growth, and household incomes nationwide.

In this second part of our series, we’ll explore some of the top challenges caregivers face and how aging-in-place non-profits like DSCC provide critical support to help them manage these dual responsibilities.

• The direct cost of caregiving on the US economy is nearly $44 billion, given the loss of more than 650,000 jobs and almost 800,000 individuals with absenteeism issues at work.

• 73% of all employees have some current caregiving responsibility.

• 41%of all older adults need care, which stands to reason given Americans generally live longer lifespans.
• Caregivers experience more frequent setbacks in their careers. They are twice as likely as non-caregivers to have experienced a layoff, and 20% say their caregiving responsibilities have limited their career growth and job opportunities. This directly affects household incomes negatively.

Caregiver Challenges and the Role of Aging-in-Place Organizations

Caregivers play an essential role in the well-being of seniors, but this responsibility often comes with significant personal challenges. Aging-in-place organizations like DSCC are crucial in supporting caregivers, helping them navigate the complexities of caregiving while maintaining their quality of life.

Isolation and Lack of Social Life

Challenge: Due to the demands of caregiving, caregivers often feel isolated and cut off from their social circles, leading to a lack of personal time and opportunities to socialize.

✅ Solution: Aging-in-place organizations like DSCC support seniors and their families by providing services such as friendly visits, well-being checks, and respite care that allow caregivers more time to engage in social activities, freedom to reconnect with friends, pursue hobbies, and maintain a balanced social life without the constant worry about their loved one’s well-being.

Emotional and Physical Burnout

Challenge: Caregivers often experience significant emotional and physical burnout due to the constant demands of caring for an aging loved one. This burnout can lead to chronic stress, fatigue, and even health issues, making it difficult for caregivers to maintain their well-being.

✅ Solution: Aging-in-place organizations offer various services to alleviate caregivers’ burdens. By providing help that allows caregivers to take needed breaks, manage their stress, and focus on their health, DSCC and others give caregivers time to recharge, reducing the risk of burnout and improving their quality of life.

Absenteeism and Loss of Work

Challenge: Caregivers often face absenteeism and loss of work due to the need to attend to their senior loved ones, leading to lost wages, missed career opportunities, and financial strain.

✅ Solution: Aging-in-place organizations like DSCC provide services such as well-being checks, friendly visits, and health monitoring, which reduce the need for caregivers to be physically present all the time.

Long-Distance Caregiving

Challenge: Not all caregivers live near their senior loved ones, making it challenging to provide care and support from afar.

✅ Solution: DSCC’s well-being checks, contractor referrals, and more provide peace of mind to long-distance caregivers by ensuring their loved ones receive the care they need, even when they can’t be there in person.

Financial Strain

Challenge: Caregivers often experience financial strain due to the high costs associated with providing care, such as medical expenses, home modifications, and loss of income from reduced work hours.

✅ Solution: Aging-in-place organizations like DSCC provide minor home repairs and modifications at little to no cost, reducing the financial burden on caregivers. Additionally, by offering resources like Meals on Wheels and other community support services, these organizations help alleviate some of the day-to-day costs of caregiving, allowing caregivers to allocate their finances more effectively.

The challenges seniors and their caregivers face are significant, but aging-in-place organizations like DSCC provide essential support systems that address these issues.

Whether it’s preventing isolation, ensuring safety, or caring for a long-distance loved one, these organizations are vital resources that allow seniors and their caregivers to maintain a better quality of life.

A Final Thought

The future of caregivers will continue to be a balancing act. At the same time, agencies on the state and federal levels advocate and lobby for reforms that will provide more support and reduce the emotional, physical, and financial pressure on working caregivers.

In the meantime, aging-in-place organizations continuously offer crucial support services to help seniors live independently and ensure that caregivers can maintain their well-being and continue to provide care effectively.

If you or someone you know could benefit from these services or if you’d like to support DSCC’s mission through volunteering, donation, advocacy, or partnership, visit our website to learn how you can get involved.