While the viral “Ok, Boomer” catchphrase seems to connote a disconnect between baby boomers and millennials and Gen Zs, there is one area that is impacting just about every age group—caregiving. Indeed caregiving is a universal issue: no matter who you are, you’ve needed care, if only as an infant. And chances are if you live long enough, you’ll need it again.
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Two national movements are telling anyone who will listen that caregivers do not have the support they need and are bearing high and often burdensome financial and emotional costs of caregiving. And they have the data to back it up.
According to AARP, more than 10 million millennials in the U.S., ranging in age from their early 20s to late 30s, are acting as unpaid caregivers. And that doesn’t even include the so-called Sandwich Generation who are caring for their aging parents while supporting their own children, or even the baby boomers who are caring for spouses with dementia and other disabilities.
“Caregiving in America is in crisis, but we are also seeing Americans united by our shared need and support for solutions for caregivers, to ensure our loved ones have access to the care they need,” said Ai-jen Poo, co-director of Caring Across Generations—a national movement of families, caregivers, people with disabilities and aging Americans working to “transform the way we care in this country.” By harnessing the power of online and grassroots organizing and culture change work, individuals of all ages and backgrounds are attempting to shift how America values caregiving and calling for policy solutions to help them do so.
“We cannot wait another generation to address fundamental issues like child care, family medical emergencies, and long-term care for family members who have a disability, or are simply aging,” Poo continued. “Women, families of color, and the youngest and oldest among us have been disproportionately paying the price – and broad swaths of the country’s middle class are increasingly struggling. Our loved ones deserve to know that when they need care, it will be there. It’s time for elected officials and candidates running for office to take note of the clear message Americans are sending, and to start caring about care.”
To prove their point, Caring Across Generations and Maria Shriver’s organization, The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement this month released results of a poll that found that Americans are “woefully unprepared for the cost and burden of Alzheimer’s and caregiving at every stage of life” and that women continue to “bear the brunt” of the impact of Alzheimer’s disease. The poll also found that the vast majority of its respondents wants political leaders to address caregiving needs now as overwhelming bipartisan majorities support new public solutions.”
“Study after study has shown that women bear the brunt of both Alzheimer’s – with one in six women over the age of 60 now projected to get this disease – and the demands of caregiving in the home, whether it’s for a child, a disabled family member, or an older adult with Alzheimer’s or dementia,” Maria Shriver, founder of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, said in a statement. “Today we have nearly 6 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease, a number that could grow to 13.8 million by 2050 – two out of three will be women.”
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The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement is a nonprofit working to raise awareness about women’s increased risk for Alzheimer’s and to educating the public about lifestyle changes they can make to protect their brain health. The movement also funds women-based Alzheimer’s research.
Hart Research Associates conducted the online survey of 1,000 adults nationwide in October on behalf of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement and Caring Across Generations. Oversamples of African-American men and women, and Hispanic men and women were conducted to reach 200 interviews among each group, for a total of 1,510 interviews.
Founded in 1971, the Washington D.C.-based research firm has conducted more than 8,000 public opinion surveys and 7,500 focus groups and in-depth interviews, talking with more than five million individuals across the United States and around the world. The firm makes a point of interviewing elite audiences—including C-suite decisionmakers, senior government officials and thought leaders across a full range of disciplines, both nationally and abroad—in addition to everyday Americans.
According to Caring Across Generations, the survey also revealed that women, specifically, are:
- More likely to be caregivers than men (55% of women vs. 45% of men).
- More likely to take on the bulk of caregiving, including among Alzheimer’s/dementia caregivers with half of women devoting more than 21 hours per week on top of other responsibilities (50% of women vs. 35% of men).
- Devoting more hours to caregiving than men, including Alzheimer’s/dementia caregivers, among whom women devote on average 39 hours per week vs. 22 hours for men – the widest gender gap outside of caring for a child.
- For women who are currently caregivers, 54% are also working full-time outside of the home.
- More likely to report feeling stressed (44% of women vs. 30% of men) and overwhelmed by their caregiving duties (42% women vs. 25% men).
- Less financially prepared than men, with only 26% stating that they have saved for future care needs, compared to 42% of men.
- Unprepared for their own future care needs, and do not have a plan in place for their own care (71% of women vs. 60% of men).
The poll found that caregivers now virtually work full time, spending an average of 35.9 hours caregiving each week. The poll also found that support for elder care, and wanting it to be a priority for candidates, was consistent across generations with an overwhelming majority—86% of Americans age 18 to 34 and 80% of Americans age 65 and older—admitting that they were more likely to support a candidate who prioritizes quality of care for older Americans and support for caregivers.
Poo said with a broad segment of American families desperate for solutions, politicians would be smart to tap into this “powerful voting bloc by prioritizing caregiving issues and Alzheimer’s research.”
“It is now clear that across party lines, age—boomers and millennials alike—and ethnic backgrounds, Americans are looking for political leaders and the next president who understands caregiving, and the needs of caregiving families,” Poo said. “At a political moment when we are so divided, we need issues and experiences that unite us across race, gender and partisan lines to unite us as a nation. Every single one of us has needed care as an infant – whether from a family member or professional caregiver – and most of us will need some form of care as we age.”
Hart’s survey showed that 82% of Americans would support a new federal program to provide support for caregiving families, and candidates should be paying attention to this emerging political issue with broad support, Poo said. Americans would pay into and access the program as needed to afford childcare, caregiving support for an aging loved one, long-term care for a disability, and paid family and medical leave. Support was high among both Democrats and Republicans (90% and 71%, respectively), and across race (78% of white respondents, 86% of Latina respondents, and 91% of African-Americans).
Only 17% of Americans are aware that women make up two out of every three Alzheimer’s cases, and that despite the fact that every 65 seconds a new brain develops Alzheimer’s, only 34% report having had conversations with their physician about their brain health, the poll showed. Additionally, Americans are not prepared for the emotional or financial demands of caregiving, either for themselves or for older family members. “This is even though two in three Americans are caregiving Americans,” Poo said.
More than half or 56% of respondents don’t believe there are enough caregivers now, with 17% more seeing the shortage getting worse in the future, according to poll results.
This has resulted in some 85% of Americans indicating that they would support political candidates who prioritize quality care for older adults and support for caregivers, crossing gender, race and party lines. The survey also found overwhelming bi-partisan support for increasing funding for Alzheimer’s and dementia research (74%); access to quality childcare (68%); and universal paid family leave (67%).
Ironically, the demands of caregiving responsibilities are also impeding people’s ability to engage civically, according to Hart Research. The poll found that specifically due to their caregiving responsibilities, 36% are having a hard time keeping up with news and current events; 33% are not feeling informed enough about candidates and/or issues to vote; and one in five (20%) are indicating that they have not voted because caregiving responsibilities have made it too difficult.
“Nothing is more personal than care, but unlike most political issues that are intimate and personal, caregiving unites us as Americans: we all want to know that quality care will be there when we need it,” Poo said. “As our nation’s demographics shift, we are seeing generational and racial polarization come into sharp focus, but in reality we share so many values. We have to be able to articulate a vision for the future that feels inclusive of everyone, and care is one of the most accessible on-ramps. Across party lines, age, and ethnic backgrounds, Americans are looking for political leaders who understand the breadth of our families’ caregiving responsibilities, and who are willing to address our failing care infrastructure in ways that are more than piecemeal. When it comes to caring for one another, we all want a future where we can care for one another and age with dignity.”