Age-related ailments often require long-term care, and in many cases a senior may have to rely on family caregiving for this support. This can include needing help with bathing, dressing, feeding, handling finances, scheduling appointments, and transportation.
Most people tend to marry someone who is within a few years of their own age. As a result, many married couples share the same cultural touchstones, social memories, and general values. Certain phases of life often coincide as they grow older together, as they may share similarly timed career paths and enter retirement around the same time. These overlapping life trajectories can also mean that they develop age-related ailments around the same time.
According to the Caregiving in the U.S. 2025 report published by AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving, nearly a quarter (22 percent) of family caregivers in the U.S. are 65 or older. Fifteen percent of them are caring for a spouse or partner.
The scenario in which a spouse or partner fills the role as family caregiver may seem ideal. After all, no one knows the care recipient better than the person they have lived with for years. However, if the caregiver and care recipient are close in age, as is often the case, the caregiver may be sacrificing their own well-being by trying to fulfill the needs of their closest loved one.
Care Recipients and Common Age-Related Ailments
Care recipients are mostly older adults, with nearly half being 75 or older. Many older adults are living with multiple chronic health conditions, such as mobility limitations and general age-related decline. Cognitive issues are prevalent among care recipients, with 27 percent of caregivers reporting that their care recipient has Alzheimer’s, dementia, or another memory-related impairment.
High-Intensity Care
The day-to-day support that family caregivers are providing has become more intense and a longer-term commitment. According to the report, 30 percent of caregivers provided care for five or more years, a significant increase from 2020. Caregivers spend an average of 27 hours per week providing care, and 24 percent provide 40 or more hours per week.
Two-thirds of caregivers assist with at least one activity of daily living (ADL). For many caregivers, these tasks, which can include bathing and moving the care recipient, are physically demanding. Twenty-three percent of caregivers reported that they struggle with these tasks.
More caregivers are also helping with multiple instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) than 10 years ago. IADLs can include shopping, preparing meals, managing finances, and providing transportation. In addition to handling ADLs and IADLs, many caregivers shoulder medical tasks such as giving injections, managing catheters, and monitoring vital signs. More than half of caregivers perform these types of tasks, yet only 22 percent have received training for them.
Forty percent of caregivers reported providing a level of care that can be considered high-intensity. This can mean that the caregiver is providing many hours of especially involved or physically taxing support each week. High-intensity care includes medical and nursing-type tasks, hands-on personal care, extensive health management, and around-the-clock supervision.
These tasks are especially challenging for older caregivers because they may require physical strength, medical skills, and sustained vigilance — all while the aging caregiver is likely managing their own health conditions.
How Family Caregiving Affects Older Caregivers
Though caring for a loved one can give a family caregiver a sense of purpose and possibly strengthen the bond they share, it can also negatively affect the caregiver. According to the report, 20 percent of caregivers rated their health as fair to poor. Nearly a quarter of them indicated that their caregiving responsibilities prevented them from adequately caring for themselves.
Providing care can cause physical strain, especially in older caregivers whose bodies may be just as old as the people they are caring for. The study found that 45 percent of caregivers experience moderate to high physical strain. Research has shown that older family caregivers, Alzheimer’s or dementia caregivers, those who are living with their care recipient, and caregivers who provide care for a year or longer are more likely to rate the strain of caregiving as high.
In addition, family caregivers have to manage the emotional stress that comes with observing a loved one’s decline while trying to meet the loved one’s needs. Among the caregivers in the Caregiving in the U.S. 2025 report, nearly two-thirds reported moderate or high emotional stress.
A feeling of isolation can be common with caregivers as well, especially in situations where the care recipient has dementia and family members who could help live far away. Nearly one in four caregivers reported feeling alone in the 2025 study.
Despite these costs, 51 percent of the family caregivers surveyed said that caregiving gave them a sense of purpose in life. The Guardian tells the story of Australian Don Cameron, who is nearly 80 and cares for his wife, Marjorie, who lives with dementia and mobility issues.
Cameron told The Guardian that he no longer has time for himself and neglects doing things that he enjoys. His biggest concern, though, is what would happen to his wife if he had a health issue that prevented him from caring for her.
How an Elder Law Attorney Can Help
Family caregivers provide countless hours of unpaid care every year while facing considerable personal and financial challenges. As more Americans require long-term care, the need for meaningful support for family caregiving will increase. In New York, Medicaid may be available to help pay for the cost of a home care aide to reduce the burden on a family caregiver.
Medicaid is a federal and state-level program that provides comprehensive coverage for those that qualify. In New York, Medicaid can help with the costs of nursing home care, home care, and, in some cases, assisted living facilties.
Medicaid eligibility is based on a person’s income and assets. Navigating Medicaid’s complex requirements can be overwhelming for seniors and their families. Elder lawyers specialize in helping older adults manage legal, financial, and health care issues, including qualifying for Medicaid. Elder lawyers can help a senior with legally structuring finances to ensure they meet Medicaid’s strict asset limits. If your need for home care is immediate, time is not something you can afford to lose. Why? If you wait too long or fail to get proper legal advice and your non-exempt assets are above the applicable allowances, you or your loved one may be ineligible for Medicaid benefits at a time such services are desperately needed.
The elder law attorneys at Kurre Schneps LLP have years of experience helping seniors and their families navigate the complexities of Medicaid eligibility and securing home care benefits. Contact us today to schedule your consultation.
