Seniors Want To Age In Place, But Family Caregivers Face Strains On Multiple Fronts

As America’s population continues to grow older, family members are increasingly stepping into demanding roles as caregivers — which often comes at considerable personal cost.

A Pew Research Center survey of 8,750 U.S. adults found that one in 10 reports serving as a caregiver for a parent 65 or older. Another 3 % care for a spouse or partner in the same age group, while less than 1% report caring for both a parent and partner.

Among adults who have a parent 65 or older, 24 % said they are caregivers, with that share climbing to 31 % when the parent is 75 or older.

Similarly, 25 % of adults with an aging spouse or partner report being a caregiver. This rises from 21 % for spouses 65 to 74 to 32 % for those 75 and older. And the costs of in-home care continue to be a driver of reverse mortgage demand as seniors judge their ability to pay for it with retirement savings or Social Security.

Caregiver income, gender divide

Not all adults with relatives who are aging in place are equally likely to be caregivers.

Lower‑income adults — among those with a parent, spouse or partner age 65 or older — are far more likely than middle‑ and upper‑income adults to serve in caregiving roles.

Thirty‑nine percent of lower‑income adults in this group report being caregivers, compared with 23% of middle‑income and 16 % of upper‑income adults.

Women also are more likely than men to take on these responsibilities. Among adults with an aging parent, spouse or partner, 28 % of women describe themselves as caregivers compared with 23% of men.

Women who care for aging parents also report more negative effects than men.

Among caregivers regularly helping a parent, 47 % of women said caregiving has harmed their emotional well‑being versus 30 % of men. In terms of physical health, 38% of female caregivers reported negative impacts compared with 26% of male caregivers.

Men are more likely than women to say caregiving has had a positive effect on their emotional well‑being (36% vs. 21%).

Daily support includes tasks of all sizes

Caregivers provide a wide range of assistance. Among those caring for an aging parent, 68 % said they regularly help with at least one of the tasks included in the survey.

More than half of parental caregivers (52 %) regularly help with errands, housework or home repairs.

Forty-two percent assist with managing health care — including scheduling appointments or medication management — and 39% regularly help with finances such as budgeting or paying bills.

Sixteen percent said they provide regular personal care like bathing or dressing, with another 15 % helping sometimes.

Among those caring for an aging spouse or partner, about two‑thirds (66%) regularly help with one or more daily tasks. Forty‑eight percent help manage health care or finances, 47% assist with errands or housework, and 19% provide personal care.

Weight of caregiving

Many caregivers describe a deeper bond with the person they care for.

Fifty-six percent of adults who regularly help a parent reported that caregiving has had a positive impact on their relationship, while just 16 % said it’s been negative.

Forty‑four percent of those caring for a spouse or partner cited a net positive impact on that relationship and 20% reported a negative impact.

But across other aspects of life, caregivers often report strain.

Among adults who support an aging parent, more said caregiving has had a negative rather than positive impact on their emotional well‑being (39% vs. 28%); physical health (33% vs. 19%); financial situation (32% vs. 18%); job or career (30% vs. 17% among those employed) and social life (36% vs. 15%).

For those aiding a spouse or partner, views are more mixed.

Caregivers are nearly as likely to say caregiving helps as hurts their emotional well‑being — 35 % positive, 33 % negative — and they report similar divisions on physical health, finances and social life.

Broader aging-in-place trends

A separate survey from Pew found that most adults 65 and older (93%) live in their own homes or apartments, while a small share (9%) receive care there.

Small shares of respondents said they live in the home of an adult child (2%) or another family member (1%), live in an assisted living facility (1%) or have some other arrangement (3%).

Most older adults prefer to age in place, with 60% saying they’d like to stay in their home and receive care there. Smaller shares favor assisted living (18%) or moving in with family (11%).

Upper-income adults are more likely to prefer assisted living (28%) than middle- (19%) or lower-income (13%) peers. Confidence in achieving these plans varies, with 37% of those wanting in-home care feeling it’s very likely, 35% for assisted living and 58% for moving in with family.

Cost concerns persist, as only 21% have long-term care insurance.