If you’re a family caregiver or you know one, you may be interested in a recent report from the AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving entitled Caregiving in the U.S. 2025, which helps explain the current state of family caregiving in America and the many challenges faced by caregivers.
As noted in the report, 63 million Americans—nearly 1 in 4 adults—provided ongoing care for an adult or a child with a complex medical condition or a disability in the past year, an astonishing increase of 20 million from 2015 to 2025. Of these 63 million caregivers, 59 million cared for someone over 18.
Caregiving is often a full-time job without financial compensation. It’s therefore not surprising that, as noted in the report, nearly 50% of caregivers experienced one or more major financial setbacks, such as an inability to save money, falling into debt and struggling to meet basic needs.
Along with financial challenges, caregiving can also undermine your health, partly due to the chronic stress of feeling responsible for the well-being of a loved one without proper training. Astonishingly, only 11% of caregivers are trained to assist with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), terms used to describe common daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, toileting, eating and getting around. Despite that lack of preparation, 65% of caregivers are helping with both ADLs and IADLs.
Additionally, only about 20% of caregivers have received formal training on medical procedures, and yet over half of these individuals are managing complex medical and nursing tasks like injections, wound care or medication management. This can be a very stressful situation, which helps to explain why 1 in 5 caregivers report being in fair or poor health, and 1 in 4 say their health is compromised by stressful caregiving responsibilities.
Caregivers are more likely than non-caregivers to suffer from chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and being overweight. Many individuals doing this work report a lack of exercise and sleep, poor eating habits, and postponing their own medical care. These problems are exacerbated by chronic stress, which drives the inflammation that fuels many health issues.
The factors that impair physical health, such as lack of exercise and sleep and poor eating habits, have negative emotional consequences as well, especially when combined with stress. For example, along with driving inflammation, stress promotes anxiety through the release of stress hormones, particularly cortisol. Prolonged or chronic stress can dysregulate this system, leading to persistent high levels of stress hormones that increase feelings of worry and nervousness, and contribute to the development of clinical anxiety disorders.
Common caregiver challenges
Dehydration
Due to the demanding nature of their duties, caregivers on the job may run a higher risk of becoming dehydrated throughout the day and/or night. Because caregivers tend to prioritize the needs of those they care for above their own, they may neglect their own fluid intake. Drinking enough fluids around the clock is especially important in caregiving work, as it helps to prevent the vicious cycle of dehydration and stress.
Dehydration drives stress. Even minor fluid loss can cause a spike in the stress hormone cortisol, which triggers the body’s overall stress response. To complete this unhealthy cycle, stress in turn drives dehydration. When you are stressed, your heart rate can increase and you may breathe more heavily, causing you to lose fluids faster.
The fix: Prepare and chill some caffeine-free iced tea or water embellished with sliced cucumbers, strawberries, oranges, and mint. This way you have something appealing you can grab quickly and share with the patient if they wish. You might also keep a cold bottle of iced tea or water in each room of the caregiver environment for easy access.
Exhaustion
Ideally, caregivers would be well rested, given the physical, mental, and emotional rigors of the work. And yet, the opposite is often true. In fact, up to 94% of dementia caregivers have been found to be sleep-deprived. And even the sleep these individuals do manage may be compromised, when you consider that up to 76% of caregivers report poor sleep quality, largely due to stress. Research suggests that for 94% percent of participants who were poor sleepers, stress was listed as the main culprit.
The significant physical, mental, and emotional demands of caring for another person combined with sleep deprivation put caregivers at a high risk of becoming exhausted. This exhausted state is also referred to as caregiver burnout, a level of fatigue that can negatively affect the caregiver’s health, leading to problems like anxiety, depression, and physical pain.
Key indicators of caregiver exhaustion
- Feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or sad
- Physical exhaustion, fatigue, or frequent headaches
- Changes in sleep patterns (too much or too little)
- Difficulty sleeping or not feeling rested
- Increased irritability or anger
- Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
- Feeling a lack of control or competence in your caregiving role
- Unhealthy coping mechanisms like overeating or substance abuse
The fix: With long work shifts, it may be difficult to maintain regular sleep hours, which is where creative rest comes in. Some form of restorative downtime is important for physical, mental, and emotional repair. If necessary, it might be worth exploring new sleep patterns. Long naps, or siestas, have been a fixture for centuries in other cultures, and may serve you well when a full night’s sleep is not an option.
When you do have a night to yourself, you can increase your odds of healthy sleep by taking time to unwind before retiring to bed. After a stressful day, incorporate relaxing actions for yourself, such as taking a long, hot soak in a lavender-spiked bubble bath, hitting your mat for some yoga stretches, preparing a healthy meal with fresh, colorful produce, listening to music, reading, journaling or meditating.
Poor eating habits
According to the Nutrition and Aging Resource Center and National Alliance for Caregiving, 63% of caregivers report poorer eating habits than non-caregivers. These habits may include skipping meals, or relying on unhealthy, processed, packaged, and/or fast-food options high in salt, sugar, saturated fat and cholesterol. For many of these individuals, irregular or unhealthy eating is not by preference. Given that many caregivers spend up to 12 hours daily providing care, it can be difficult to eat a healthy meal or snack every few hours.
The fix: If sit-down meals aren’t an option, it is still possible to stay well nourished. Small, easy-to-munch snacks are the key, with an emphasis on protein, fiber, and healthy fat to help keep you going long and strong. Consider the following ideas:
High-protein granola – This handy, non-perishable staple is naturally rich in protein and healthy fats, and it’s also filling, tasty, and versatile. Munch it right from the bag or enjoy it with coconut yogurt and berries. One of the most deliciously wholesome and least processed granola options comes in cranberry-almond, chocolate peanut butter, cherry berry chocolate chunk, sweet & salty and dark chocolate flavors.
Trail mix blends with dried fruit, nuts, and seeds also offer concentrated, protein-rich nourishment on the quick. This sprouted trail mix comes in spicy mango and wild berry flavors.
Fresh & dried fruit – Enjoyed on its own, fruit like apples, pears, bananas, and oranges make a light, refreshing snack. For a heartier bite, add nuts, seeds, and their butters. Think apple slices with almond butter, orange slices dipped in hemp seeds, peanut butter and banana, pear “sandwiches” with walnut butter, or grapes and Brazil nuts. Another superb option―rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants―is dried fruit, such as figs, strawberries, mango, apricots, Gogi berries, cherries, etc.
Roasted chickpeas – Packed with fiber and protein, crispy roasted chickpeas take the edge of your hunger beautifully, even if you only have a moment. Try them in various flavors, such as barbecue, honey roasted, habanero, l’il bit of everything, rockin’ ranch and sea salt flavors.
Long-term caregiving is a noble act, but it is also physically, mentally, and emotionally draining. This is why understanding the common challenges caregivers face makes sense before committing to this important, and often emotionally rewarding role.
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