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.
