The state of caregiving in the U.S. has grown increasingly complex, filling in the gaps where long-term care supports are not available.
The report, produced by AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving, shows the number of U.S. caregivers at 63 million, about the number of caregivers has increased by about 10 million since the 2020 report (about a 19% increase) and a staggering 45% jump over the 2015 report.
The report focuses on the 59 million caregivers who report caring for adults ages 18 and older. Another 4 million report caring for a child under age 18 with an illness or disability.
Of the current 63 million caregivers, a concerning amount – 59 million of them – or more than 93% care for an adult with a complex medical condition or disability.
In its executive summary, report authors referred to gaps in U.S. care options in this way. “This report describes the critical role family caregivers play in supporting the nation’s fractured long-term services and supports system and highlights how policies and practices support this essential work and where gaps persist.”
Report authors found that many older adults care for spouses, while younger caregivers are more likely to be caring for older generations.
The average age of caregivers is 51. Women are the majority at 61 percent with that same percentage, 61 percent, identifying as non-Hispanic white individuals. Latino/Hispanic caregivers represent 16 percent; African American/Black caregivers 13 percent; and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander caregivers 6 percent, according to report findings.
Older adults make up a solid percentage of those receiving care – nearly half are age 75 or older. Among conditions leading to the need for care are age-related decline, Alzheimer’s or other dementias, mobility limitations, cancer, and postsurgical recovery. Cognitive issues are prevalent: 27 percent of caregivers report that their care recipient has cognitive issues such as Alzheimer’s.
Among all caregivers, 32 percent use paid help, and 53 percent have unpaid assistance. LGBTQ+ and lower-income caregivers less often have help of any kind.
Of the total, 24 percent of family caregivers support more than one care recipient. Most are caring for relatives, especially parents or spouses, but 11 percent are caring for nonrelatives such as friends or neighbors.
Surprisingly, while many caregivers (39 percent) say they need more time off from caretaking responsibilities, only 13 percent report using it. Report authors suggest structural and subjective barriers such as lack of trust, shame, or concerns about quality of care may be behind the difference.
Respite is one of the areas where aging services like Coastline in New Bedford offer caregiver support.
Coastline CEO Justin Lees said aging services organizations are aware that the caregiving landscape is changing and that caregiver needs are in flux. Coastline is looking to increase its support for caregivers, he said, but wants to be sure its offerings align with the needs in local communities.
“We’re paying attention to the trends across the country and open to feedback on what caregivers want,” Lees said. “We don’t want to keep doing the same things. As needs change, we want to be responsive and grow with them.”
Caregiving is longer term and more intensive in 2025, report authors said, with 30% of caregivers providing care for five or more years. Caregivers spend an average of 27 hours/week providing care with 24% providing 40 or more hours/week. Caregivers not only help with activities of daily living, such as bathing and toileting, but also perform tasks called instrumental activities of daily living, including shopping, managing finances, preparing meals, and providing transportation.
Since 2020, more caregivers are providing some ADL assistance, and more are providing help with multiple ADLs, according to the report, which noted that many caregivers say these tasks are physically difficult. They are also mainly done without training or preparation. Only 11% of caregivers received any formal training to prepare them for these tasks.
Training for medical tasks, such as managing catheters or performing injections, is also sparse. Fifty-five percent provide these types of tasks, yet only 22 percent received training for them, according to report authors.
Find the full report at /www.aarp.org/caregiving/basics/caregiving-in-us-survey-2025/
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