New Survey Highlights Severity of America's Caregiver Crisis

Family Caregiving is Taking a Toll on Mental Health, Careers, and Financial Wellbeing

News provided by

Sep 20, 2021, 09:00 ET

BOSTON, Sept. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey by Family First, the first and only caregiving support benefit to offer employees expert-led holistic, coordinated solutions, confirms that America's caregivers have faced immense challenges during the pandemic.

More than 50 million adults in the U.S. act as caregivers for their loved ones. While caregiving can be rewarding, it can also lead to significant physical, mental, emotional, and financial challenges. COVID-19 has accelerated this crisis, forcing many in the sandwich generation to serve as caregivers for their children and their parents. To better understand the family caregiving landscape, Family First surveyed 1,500 unpaid family caregivers about their caregiving demands and challenges, and their expectations of employers for support and benefits. Key findings include:

Caregivers were hit hard by COVID-19: Most caregivers (83%) say their caregiving responsibilities increased during COVID-19. Additionally, 71% of respondents have had mental health challenges during the pandemic with 38% of them experiencing suicidal thoughts, 44% increasing substance use, and 62% suffering from depression.
Caregiving duties are negatively impacting their career paths: Of the 1,500 respondents, 40% had to leave their job during COVID-19 and 38% are still thinking about leaving their job. More than half (55%) say they are too burned out from caregiving to do their job well, with 45% of them saying they had to turn down a promotion because of these responsibilities.
Employers are not doing enough to support them: Many respondents (72%) feel like their employer could be doing more to support them as a working caregiver and 82% of them believe caregiving support should be an essential employee benefit. While the report also found that 86% of family caregivers feel happy to take care of their loved ones, it has not been easy on them, especially for those who are working full time.

"These 'co-morbidities of caregiving' are a direct result of a simple fact: caregiving is a lifestyle, not an event," said Evan Falchuk, CEO and Chairman of Family First. "Too many people are forced to decide between quality care for a loved one and their own career or mental health. Employers have a tremendous opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of working family caregivers by offering caregiving benefits that help their employees navigate the many challenges of caregiving."

For more information, please visit: www.family-first.com.

About Family First
Family First is the first expert-led and technology-powered caregiving support benefit, integrating expert care teams and clinical and social determinants of health data to create holistic, comprehensive, and accurate care plans that solve employees' most urgent caregiving needs. The company was spun out of virtual care and in-home care management leader VillagePlan. Powered by industry-leading technology, Family First combines 30 years of hands-on experience, a multi-disciplinary team of experts, and an artificial intelligence engine that analyzes data from millions of people to ensure employees have the caregiving solutions they need — and their loved ones are on the right care path. Learn more at www.family-first.com.

SOURCE Family First