What are Caregivers Doing?
Key Takeaways
- Caregiving is long term for many: 30 percent of caregivers have provided care for five years or more, an increase from the proportion providing this duration of care in 2015.
- Caregiving is time consuming: Nearly one in four caregivers provide 40 hours of care or more per week, and an additional 35 percent of caregivers provide care for more than 20 hours per week.
- Forty percent of caregivers report providing high-intensity care.
- More caregivers help with activities of daily living than in 2020, and more caregivers help with three or more activities of daily living than in 2020.
- Despite the types of care they provide, only 11 percent of caregivers received formal training for this type of care.
- Most caregivers include health care coordination tasks—such as monitoring care recipients’ health conditions and communicating with care recipients’ providers—as part of their care responsibilities. However, one-third of caregivers find care coordination challenging.
- Use of technology to help with caregiving is up compared with 2020.
Understanding the scope and intensity of family caregiving requires examining not only who provides care but also what that care involves. Family caregivers perform a range of tasks that vary in complexity, physical demands, and time commitment. This section explores the multifaceted nature of caregiving responsibilities, including the number of hours devoted to care and the specific daily living activities managed by caregivers.
Data from Caregiving in the US provide valuable insight into the extensive time commitments caregivers undertake, the personal care tasks they manage, the household and medical responsibilities they handle, and the training they receive. Together, these elements offer a comprehensive picture of the essential, although often unseen, work performed by family caregivers.
The average duration of caregiving is 5.5 years. Nearly 30 percent of caregivers have provided care for 5 years or more, an increase from 24 percent in 2015.
Duration of Care
| CATEGORY | Year | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 6 months | 2015 | 29.50 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2015 | 19.70 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2015 | 26.10 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2015 | 12.30 |
| 10+ yrs | 2015 | 12.10 |
| Less than 6 months | 2020 | 25.10 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2020 | 17.90 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2020 | 27.40 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2020 | 15.30 |
| 10+ yrs | 2020 | 13.90 |
| Less than 6 months | 2025 | 24.90 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2025 | 17.40 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2025 | 28.30 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2025 | 14.40 |
| 10+ yrs | 2025 | 14.60 |
| BY CAREGIVER AGE | Year | 18 to 34 | 35 to 44 | 45 to 54 | 55 to 64 | 65 to 74 | 75 or older |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 6 months | 2015 | 35.80 | 30.60 | 33.20 | 22.70 | 25.10 | 21.80 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2015 | 21.20 | 20.90 | 16.70 | 18.70 | 20.60 | 23.70 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2015 | 24.00 | 28.40 | 27.00 | 27.60 | 27.90 | 19.80 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2015 | 10.40 | 10.70 | 11.80 | 16.80 | 9.90 | 14.40 |
| 10+ yrs | 2015 | 8.60 | 9.30 | 11.20 | 14.10 | 16.50 | 20.30 |
| Less than 6 months | 2020 | 29.40 | 31.80 | 21.30 | 19.10 | 26.50 | 25.00 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2020 | 29.00 | 13.80 | 12.30 | 13.70 | 16.70 | 21.60 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2020 | 20.40 | 30.00 | 30.20 | 31.40 | 29.40 | 20.70 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2020 | 13.50 | 11.30 | 17.80 | 18.10 | 15.20 | 13.30 |
| 10+ yrs | 2020 | 7.30 | 13.20 | 18.10 | 17.10 | 11.10 | 19.50 |
| Less than 6 months | 2025 | 31.70 | 26.40 | 24.60 | 21.40 | 21.60 | 21.70 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2025 | 21.10 | 17.90 | 15.60 | 17.00 | 16.00 | 15.50 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2025 | 26.20 | 28.80 | 29.20 | 26.90 | 29.10 | 33.90 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2025 | 10.70 | 13.00 | 14.50 | 16.90 | 17.70 | 12.50 |
| 10+ yrs | 2025 | 9.30 | 13.80 | 16.00 | 17.40 | 15.50 | 15.60 |
| BY CAREGIVER EDUCATION | Year | Less than high school | High school grad | Some college or Associates | Bachelors degree | Masters degree or above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 6 months | 2015 | 34.90 | 24.50 | 32.20 | 32.20 | 27.70 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2015 | 16.40 | 23.30 | 20.20 | 19.40 | 14.40 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2015 | 25.20 | 28.30 | 23.90 | 23.90 | 30.30 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2015 | 8.10 | 12.80 | 10.70 | 13.70 | 14.90 |
| 10+ yrs | 2015 | 15.30 | 11.10 | 13.10 | 10.80 | 12.70 |
| Less than 6 months | 2020 | 22.30 | 24.30 | 24.80 | 25.80 | 27.70 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2020 | 24.10 | 21.20 | 16.90 | 15.30 | 15.20 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2020 | 23.70 | 26.10 | 27.80 | 31.30 | 24.70 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2020 | 16.30 | 14.20 | 16.10 | 12.90 | 18.50 |
| 10+ yrs | 2020 | 12.60 | 13.70 | 14.00 | 14.30 | 13.90 |
| Less than 6 months | 2025 | 27.40 | 23.30 | 24.10 | 27.30 | 24.90 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2025 | 26.10 | 16.60 | 16.90 | 17.30 | 14.90 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2025 | 21.20 | 28.00 | 29.20 | 29.30 | 30.30 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2025 | 10.00 | 15.20 | 15.40 | 13.30 | 14.80 |
| 10+ yrs | 2025 | 14.30 | 16.50 | 14.00 | 12.70 | 14.90 |
| BY CAREGIVER EMPLOYMENT | Year | Employed | Not employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 6 months | 2015 | 28.50 | 31.20 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2015 | 19.30 | 20.50 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2015 | 26.30 | 26.10 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2015 | 14.10 | 9.50 |
| 10+ yrs | 2015 | 11.80 | 12.70 |
| Less than 6 months | 2020 | 24.10 | 26.70 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2020 | 18.80 | 16.60 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2020 | 28.50 | 25.60 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2020 | 15.00 | 15.70 |
| 10+ yrs | 2020 | 13.40 | 14.70 |
| Less than 6 months | 2025 | 25.40 | 24.00 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2025 | 16.30 | 18.90 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2025 | 28.80 | 27.80 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2025 | 14.20 | 14.90 |
| 10+ yrs | 2025 | 15.20 | 13.80 |
| BY CAREGIVER GENDER | Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 6 months | 2015 | 27.00 | 31.30 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2015 | 19.00 | 20.30 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2015 | 28.90 | 24.30 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2015 | 11.80 | 12.60 |
| 10+ yrs | 2015 | 13.30 | 11.40 |
| Less than 6 months | 2020 | 24.90 | 25.20 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2020 | 17.30 | 18.30 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2020 | 27.30 | 27.50 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2020 | 16.40 | 14.60 |
| 10+ yrs | 2020 | 13.70 | 14.00 |
| Less than 6 months | 2025 | 24.10 | 25.30 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2025 | 17.00 | 17.70 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2025 | 30.20 | 27.20 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2025 | 14.80 | 14.20 |
| 10+ yrs | 2025 | 13.50 | 15.30 |
| BY CAREGIVER HOUSEHOLD INCOME | Year | Under $15k | $15 to $29k | $30 to $49k | $50 - 74k | $75 - 99k | $100k+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 6 months | 2015 | 31.90 | 29.50 | 25.40 | 26.70 | 32.00 | 32.60 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2015 | 17.60 | 23.10 | 21.10 | 23.70 | 16.40 | 16.50 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2015 | 32.10 | 18.30 | 30.30 | 27.70 | 24.80 | 24.90 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2015 | 6.60 | 12.20 | 12.90 | 8.70 | 14.40 | 16.50 |
| 10+ yrs | 2015 | 11.80 | 17.00 | 10.30 | 13.20 | 12.40 | 9.60 |
| Less than 6 months | 2020 | 24.20 | 21.10 | 29.50 | 29.40 | 24.70 | 22.80 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2020 | 19.10 | 22.90 | 18.40 | 15.50 | 17.20 | 17.00 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2020 | 33.00 | 27.20 | 27.60 | 19.90 | 28.70 | 29.40 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2020 | 12.20 | 17.70 | 14.70 | 15.80 | 18.40 | 13.80 |
| 10+ yrs | 2020 | 10.80 | 10.50 | 9.30 | 18.60 | 11.00 | 16.70 |
| Less than 6 months | 2025 | 22.50 | 23.00 | 24.10 | 23.70 | 25.00 | 26.30 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2025 | 20.60 | 20.80 | 17.50 | 18.70 | 16.10 | 16.20 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2025 | 22.60 | 26.20 | 28.20 | 25.70 | 32.30 | 29.50 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2025 | 11.80 | 15.80 | 14.80 | 15.30 | 13.60 | 14.10 |
| 10+ yrs | 2025 | 20.90 | 14.10 | 14.20 | 16.40 | 12.80 | 13.80 |
| BY CAREGIVER LGBTQIA+ | Year | Yes LGBTQIA+ | No, not LGBTQIA+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 6 months | 2015 | 35.00 | 29.10 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2015 | 16.00 | 20.00 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2015 | 25.50 | 26.30 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2015 | 11.20 | 12.40 |
| 10+ yrs | 2015 | 12.30 | 12.20 |
| Less than 6 months | 2020 | 28.00 | 25.30 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2020 | 18.00 | 17.30 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2020 | 23.20 | 28.00 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2020 | 16.30 | 15.30 |
| 10+ yrs | 2020 | 13.50 | 13.80 |
| Less than 6 months | 2025 | 29.60 | 24.70 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2025 | 18.00 | 17.30 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2025 | 26.70 | 28.10 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2025 | 13.70 | 14.40 |
| 10+ yrs | 2025 | 11.10 | 15.20 |
| BY CAREGIVER RACE | Year | White non-Hispanic | Black non-Hispanic | Asian, Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic | Other | Hispanic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 6 months | 2015 | 29.60 | 22.80 | 24.80 | 47.50 | 33.90 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2015 | 18.50 | 24.50 | 26.40 | 2.10 | 20.80 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2015 | 27.50 | 25.80 | 29.10 | 19.30 | 21.80 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2015 | 12.70 | 11.80 | 13.60 | 11.80 | 10.80 |
| 10+ yrs | 2015 | 11.70 | 15.10 | 6.10 | 19.30 | 12.70 |
| Less than 6 months | 2020 | 26.00 | 19.40 | 21.20 | 24.30 | 28.10 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2020 | 16.00 | 17.90 | 24.30 | 15.90 | 23.00 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2020 | 28.60 | 31.40 | 24.30 | 26.50 | 20.60 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2020 | 15.30 | 14.20 | 13.30 | 16.70 | 16.70 |
| 10+ yrs | 2020 | 13.40 | 17.00 | 16.90 | 16.60 | 11.70 |
| Less than 6 months | 2025 | 25.60 | 20.50 | 21.10 | 23.30 | 27.20 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2025 | 16.70 | 20.40 | 16.50 | 21.00 | 17.00 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2025 | 28.70 | 30.60 | 25.50 | 28.80 | 26.00 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2025 | 14.90 | 11.90 | 19.20 | 14.50 | 13.00 |
| 10+ yrs | 2025 | 13.80 | 16.10 | 16.20 | 12.40 | 16.60 |
| BY CHOICE | Year | Had a choice | Did not have a choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 6 months | 2015 | 36.00 | 23.30 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2015 | 20.80 | 18.90 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2015 | 25.00 | 26.90 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2015 | 7.80 | 16.90 |
| 10+ yrs | 2015 | 10.30 | 14.00 |
| Less than 6 months | 2020 | 30.40 | 20.60 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2020 | 20.90 | 15.40 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2020 | 25.40 | 29.00 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2020 | 12.50 | 17.60 |
| 10+ yrs | 2020 | 10.50 | 16.80 |
| Less than 6 months | 2025 | 31.00 | 20.10 |
| 6 mos to less than 1yr | 2025 | 18.70 | 16.20 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | 2025 | 26.30 | 30.00 |
| 5-9 yrs | 2025 | 12.90 | 15.70 |
| 10+ yrs | 2025 | 10.80 | 17.60 |
On average, caregivers spend 27 hours per week providing care (see figure 15).5 One-third of caregivers provide care for more than 20 hours per week (35 percent), and 24 percent provide care hours equivalent to a full-time job (more than 40 hours of care each week). Women are more likely to provide constant care (22 percent) than men (16 percent). Constant care was defined in the survey as time-intensive care that ranged from on and off around-the-clock care, continuous care with only small sleep breaks, or 24/7 continuous care.
Hours of Care Provided
| CATEGORY | Year | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 hour | 2015 | 12.50 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2015 | 33.60 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2015 | 21.60 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2015 | 9.20 |
| 41 or more hours | 2015 | 22.50 |
| Less than 1 hour | 2020 | 10.10 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2020 | 35.20 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2020 | 22.50 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2020 | 10.70 |
| 41 or more hours | 2020 | 21.00 |
| Less than 1 hour | 2025 | 9.80 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2025 | 32.60 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2025 | 21.60 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2025 | 11.20 |
| 41 or more hours | 2025 | 24.10 |
| BY CAREGIVER AGE | Year | 18 to 34 | 35 to 44 | 45 to 54 | 55 to 64 | 65 to 74 | 75 or older |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 hour | 2015 | 17.80 | 13.20 | 12.30 | 7.70 | 10.40 | 12.40 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2015 | 34.10 | 37.30 | 30.50 | 38.10 | 31.80 | 26.20 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2015 | 21.90 | 21.50 | 27.60 | 17.60 | 21.90 | 15.30 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2015 | 7.70 | 7.20 | 11.70 | 9.40 | 9.70 | 11.00 |
| 41 or more hours | 2015 | 18.50 | 20.90 | 17.90 | 27.20 | 26.20 | 35.10 |
| Less than 1 hour | 2020 | 14.20 | 10.70 | 9.30 | 8.50 | 5.00 | 11.70 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2020 | 31.80 | 34.90 | 39.00 | 38.90 | 32.60 | 31.50 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2020 | 19.80 | 22.60 | 22.20 | 21.20 | 29.70 | 25.70 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2020 | 11.10 | 11.40 | 11.20 | 10.60 | 12.60 | 4.70 |
| 41 or more hours | 2020 | 23.10 | 20.40 | 18.40 | 20.90 | 20.10 | 26.40 |
| Less than 1 hour | 2025 | 15.70 | 10.50 | 10.10 | 8.90 | 7.20 | 9.20 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2025 | 29.20 | 32.20 | 34.20 | 34.70 | 34.80 | 27.40 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2025 | 20.70 | 22.30 | 20.80 | 23.50 | 22.00 | 17.40 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2025 | 11.90 | 12.40 | 10.70 | 10.30 | 11.80 | 10.40 |
| 41 or more hours | 2025 | 22.50 | 22.60 | 24.10 | 22.70 | 24.20 | 35.70 |
| BY CAREGIVER EDUCATION | Year | Less than high school | High school grad | Some college or Associates | Bachelors degree | Masters degree or above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 hour | 2015 | 16.50 | 12.10 | 11.60 | 13.70 | 11.80 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2015 | 24.60 | 27.20 | 32.30 | 44.40 | 39.80 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2015 | 17.70 | 23.60 | 23.00 | 19.90 | 20.30 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2015 | 12.60 | 9.90 | 7.90 | 9.40 | 8.90 |
| 41 or more hours | 2015 | 28.70 | 27.10 | 25.10 | 12.60 | 19.20 |
| Less than 1 hour | 2020 | 12.30 | 10.30 | 9.80 | 10.90 | 8.30 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2020 | 22.60 | 34.50 | 32.80 | 41.80 | 39.60 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2020 | 22.60 | 21.60 | 22.80 | 22.20 | 24.50 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2020 | 12.10 | 10.80 | 12.50 | 9.00 | 8.90 |
| 41 or more hours | 2020 | 30.40 | 22.80 | 22.20 | 16.10 | 18.70 |
| Less than 1 hour | 2025 | 13.90 | 8.40 | 9.00 | 12.90 | 11.90 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2025 | 21.90 | 29.20 | 31.10 | 40.90 | 38.20 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2025 | 17.80 | 18.80 | 23.80 | 21.10 | 24.60 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2025 | 9.50 | 13.00 | 13.00 | 8.90 | 8.60 |
| 41 or more hours | 2025 | 36.90 | 30.60 | 23.10 | 16.20 | 16.60 |
| BY CAREGIVER EMPLOYMENT | Year | Employed | Not employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 hour | 2015 | 13.60 | 11.20 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2015 | 38.00 | 27.40 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2015 | 23.00 | 19.80 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2015 | 8.00 | 11.20 |
| 41 or more hours | 2015 | 17.40 | 30.40 |
| Less than 1 hour | 2020 | 11.10 | 8.50 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2020 | 38.00 | 31.30 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2020 | 22.90 | 22.20 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2020 | 11.20 | 10.10 |
| 41 or more hours | 2020 | 16.80 | 28.00 |
| Less than 1 hour | 2025 | 11.20 | 9.20 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2025 | 35.50 | 28.10 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2025 | 23.00 | 19.70 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2025 | 10.80 | 12.10 |
| 41 or more hours | 2025 | 19.60 | 30.80 |
| BY CAREGIVER GENDER | Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 hour | 2015 | 11.90 | 13.10 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2015 | 35.80 | 32.30 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2015 | 22.00 | 21.60 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2015 | 9.50 | 9.20 |
| 41 or more hours | 2015 | 20.80 | 23.80 |
| Less than 1 hour | 2020 | 8.90 | 10.90 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2020 | 36.80 | 34.50 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2020 | 23.80 | 21.90 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2020 | 10.40 | 11.00 |
| 41 or more hours | 2020 | 20.10 | 21.70 |
| Less than 1 hour | 2025 | 10.50 | 9.50 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2025 | 33.90 | 31.70 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2025 | 23.70 | 20.40 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2025 | 10.50 | 11.60 |
| 41 or more hours | 2025 | 20.80 | 26.50 |
| BY CAREGIVER HOUSEHOLD INCOME | Year | Under $15k | $15 to $29k | $30 to $49k | $50 - 74k | $75 - 99k | $100k+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 hour | 2015 | 12.70 | 13.20 | 13.50 | 12.10 | 10.80 | 12.90 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2015 | 20.40 | 31.90 | 30.50 | 34.50 | 39.00 | 41.20 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2015 | 24.70 | 17.60 | 23.40 | 19.90 | 23.90 | 22.00 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2015 | 10.80 | 8.30 | 8.90 | 9.10 | 7.50 | 10.70 |
| 41 or more hours | 2015 | 31.50 | 29.10 | 23.80 | 24.40 | 18.70 | 13.10 |
| Less than 1 hour | 2020 | 16.80 | 10.10 | 10.50 | 10.40 | 7.70 | 9.20 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2020 | 23.80 | 23.90 | 34.70 | 34.30 | 38.20 | 42.40 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2020 | 17.70 | 24.40 | 21.60 | 25.50 | 24.00 | 21.50 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2020 | 15.60 | 11.90 | 10.20 | 7.20 | 9.50 | 11.90 |
| 41 or more hours | 2020 | 26.20 | 29.80 | 23.00 | 22.70 | 20.50 | 15.00 |
| Less than 1 hour | 2025 | 10.80 | 10.20 | 8.80 | 7.20 | 9.80 | 12.70 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2025 | 17.30 | 23.40 | 27.00 | 30.50 | 33.00 | 39.40 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2025 | 16.60 | 19.90 | 17.70 | 24.80 | 25.90 | 21.50 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2025 | 10.50 | 16.00 | 14.10 | 12.10 | 10.40 | 9.20 |
| 41 or more hours | 2025 | 44.80 | 30.50 | 32.40 | 25.40 | 21.00 | 17.20 |
| BY CAREGIVER LGBTQIA+ | Year | Yes LGBTQIA+ | No, not LGBTQIA+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 hour | 2015 | 21.40 | 11.90 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2015 | 24.10 | 34.70 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2015 | 22.80 | 21.60 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2015 | 5.70 | 9.60 |
| 41 or more hours | 2015 | 26.00 | 22.20 |
| Less than 1 hour | 2020 | 11.10 | 9.60 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2020 | 19.70 | 36.90 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2020 | 30.10 | 22.10 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2020 | 14.50 | 10.40 |
| 41 or more hours | 2020 | 24.60 | 20.90 |
| Less than 1 hour | 2025 | 13.50 | 9.70 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2025 | 28.30 | 33.70 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2025 | 21.10 | 21.60 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2025 | 12.90 | 10.70 |
| 41 or more hours | 2025 | 23.40 | 23.70 |
| BY CAREGIVER RACE | Year | White non-Hispanic | Black non-Hispanic | Asian, Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic | Other | Hispanic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 hour | 2015 | 12.00 | 18.80 | 12.80 | 18.60 | 9.10 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2015 | 36.10 | 26.90 | 41.00 | 13.40 | 30.50 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2015 | 23.80 | 15.50 | 15.30 | 34.00 | 19.70 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2015 | 9.10 | 12.70 | 8.00 | 5.10 | 8.30 |
| 41 or more hours | 2015 | 19.00 | 26.10 | 22.90 | 29.00 | 32.30 |
| Less than 1 hour | 2020 | 9.80 | 11.70 | 17.80 | 7.10 | 7.90 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2020 | 39.80 | 23.00 | 33.40 | 38.20 | 30.30 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2020 | 23.00 | 19.40 | 16.20 | 26.40 | 25.30 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2020 | 9.20 | 15.20 | 9.90 | 9.30 | 13.20 |
| 41 or more hours | 2020 | 18.20 | 30.60 | 22.70 | 18.90 | 23.30 |
| Less than 1 hour | 2025 | 10.00 | 10.60 | 12.70 | 10.70 | 7.50 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2025 | 34.60 | 25.70 | 40.80 | 26.10 | 30.20 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2025 | 21.10 | 20.40 | 20.10 | 23.60 | 20.40 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2025 | 10.80 | 12.40 | 7.00 | 12.30 | 12.50 |
| 41 or more hours | 2025 | 21.90 | 29.00 | 17.90 | 27.40 | 29.40 |
| BY CHOICE | Year | Had a choice | Did not have a choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 hour | 2015 | 16.10 | 9.20 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2015 | 37.20 | 30.00 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2015 | 20.60 | 22.90 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2015 | 7.40 | 11.30 |
| 41 or more hours | 2015 | 18.60 | 26.60 |
| Less than 1 hour | 2020 | 12.40 | 8.20 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2020 | 38.30 | 32.90 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2020 | 19.60 | 25.00 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2020 | 11.30 | 10.40 |
| 41 or more hours | 2020 | 18.40 | 23.60 |
| Less than 1 hour | 2025 | 13.20 | 8.00 |
| 1 to 8 hours | 2025 | 37.20 | 29.10 |
| 9 to 20 hours | 2025 | 19.20 | 23.60 |
| 21 to 40 hours | 2025 | 10.50 | 12.00 |
| 41 or more hours | 2025 | 19.90 | 27.40 |
Activities of daily living, or ADLs, are routine tasks that are essential for maintaining personal independence, such as bathing, dressing, feeding oneself, toileting, and transferring from a bed or a chair. Almost two-thirds of caregivers assist their care recipient with at least one ADL. On average, caregivers assist with 1.9 of 6 ADLs. From 2020 to 2025, more caregivers are helping with any ADLs, and more caregivers are helping with three or more ADLs. The most common task is helping recipients get in and out of beds and chairs (45 percent).
Help with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
| CATEGORY | Year | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2015 | 43.20 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2015 | 31.60 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2015 | 26.80 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2015 | 25.80 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2015 | 16.30 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2015 | 23.50 |
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2020 | 40.70 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2020 | 30.80 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2020 | 22.20 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2020 | 26.60 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2020 | 18.50 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2020 | 26.40 |
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2025 | 44.50 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2025 | 35.10 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2025 | 26.20 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2025 | 31.20 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2025 | 22.30 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2025 | 27.60 |
| BY CAREGIVER AGE | Year | 18 to 34 | 35 to 44 | 45 to 54 | 55 to 64 | 65 to 74 | 75 or older |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2015 | 44.90 | 43.10 | 42.30 | 45.40 | 37.70 | 42.70 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2015 | 30.40 | 35.70 | 29.90 | 32.30 | 32.90 | 28.40 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2015 | 26.60 | 29.50 | 26.20 | 27.70 | 25.10 | 24.00 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2015 | 24.10 | 28.20 | 23.40 | 30.60 | 27.10 | 17.90 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2015 | 12.60 | 14.20 | 11.50 | 22.50 | 23.00 | 20.30 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2015 | 24.20 | 24.80 | 20.30 | 28.30 | 17.70 | 23.50 |
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2020 | 53.00 | 42.50 | 36.30 | 34.80 | 36.60 | 34.90 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2020 | 34.50 | 26.90 | 28.70 | 30.60 | 32.60 | 29.80 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2020 | 28.90 | 21.10 | 19.20 | 20.60 | 19.00 | 21.50 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2020 | 24.00 | 25.40 | 24.90 | 27.20 | 28.90 | 37.30 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2020 | 16.80 | 14.50 | 18.50 | 20.90 | 18.30 | 24.60 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2020 | 34.10 | 25.10 | 26.30 | 25.40 | 20.80 | 15.30 |
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2025 | 53.30 | 50.60 | 42.70 | 39.00 | 39.50 | 38.00 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2025 | 35.60 | 38.10 | 35.10 | 32.00 | 35.90 | 34.40 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2025 | 28.40 | 31.50 | 24.50 | 22.40 | 26.80 | 22.30 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2025 | 26.50 | 33.80 | 29.80 | 31.50 | 34.30 | 33.00 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2025 | 17.30 | 23.10 | 21.50 | 23.20 | 25.80 | 25.10 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2025 | 34.70 | 33.00 | 26.50 | 23.10 | 22.30 | 22.90 |
| BY CAREGIVER EDUCATION | Year | Less than high school | High school grad | Some college or Associates | Bachelors degree | Masters degree or above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2015 | 48.50 | 42.60 | 45.00 | 39.90 | 42.10 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2015 | 43.80 | 30.60 | 30.30 | 29.60 | 32.00 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2015 | 33.50 | 25.00 | 25.50 | 27.40 | 28.50 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2015 | 36.70 | 26.30 | 25.70 | 23.60 | 21.90 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2015 | 28.90 | 17.50 | 14.20 | 11.70 | 17.70 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2015 | 30.30 | 25.50 | 20.90 | 20.40 | 25.10 |
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2020 | 40.80 | 43.10 | 44.60 | 34.60 | 36.00 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2020 | 30.80 | 31.90 | 31.10 | 22.40 | 40.60 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2020 | 28.30 | 26.30 | 21.10 | 14.10 | 26.60 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2020 | 30.30 | 25.60 | 29.60 | 21.40 | 27.00 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2020 | 17.30 | 18.90 | 19.10 | 13.60 | 23.90 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2020 | 42.10 | 29.90 | 25.50 | 19.40 | 24.80 |
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2025 | 60.80 | 46.60 | 43.70 | 40.10 | 38.10 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2025 | 48.20 | 38.00 | 34.40 | 31.90 | 27.50 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2025 | 37.90 | 25.80 | 26.10 | 24.60 | 22.20 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2025 | 39.90 | 35.20 | 29.90 | 27.70 | 26.40 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2025 | 26.30 | 21.70 | 22.70 | 22.00 | 20.80 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2025 | 44.90 | 29.00 | 25.20 | 24.90 | 23.10 |
| BY CAREGIVER EMPLOYMENT | Year | Employed | Not employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2015 | 41.40 | 45.80 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2015 | 28.40 | 36.40 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2015 | 24.90 | 29.60 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2015 | 25.30 | 26.40 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2015 | 14.30 | 19.30 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2015 | 22.30 | 25.30 |
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2020 | 41.20 | 39.90 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2020 | 30.90 | 30.60 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2020 | 22.50 | 21.70 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2020 | 25.80 | 27.90 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2020 | 18.20 | 18.90 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2020 | 24.70 | 29.00 |
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2025 | 44.90 | 44.10 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2025 | 34.10 | 36.60 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2025 | 26.00 | 26.70 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2025 | 31.30 | 31.20 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2025 | 22.20 | 22.50 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2025 | 27.30 | 28.30 |
| BY CAREGIVER GENDER | Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2015 | 44.40 | 42.30 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2015 | 28.70 | 33.50 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2015 | 29.50 | 25.00 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2015 | 24.10 | 26.90 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2015 | 15.10 | 17.20 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2015 | 24.00 | 23.10 |
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2020 | 42.30 | 39.70 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2020 | 25.70 | 34.00 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2020 | 22.40 | 22.10 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2020 | 21.70 | 29.70 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2020 | 14.90 | 20.70 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2020 | 27.00 | 25.90 |
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2025 | 46.90 | 42.90 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2025 | 29.90 | 38.50 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2025 | 26.40 | 26.20 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2025 | 26.60 | 34.30 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2025 | 20.50 | 23.60 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2025 | 28.00 | 27.30 |
| BY CAREGIVER HOUSEHOLD INCOME | Year | Under $15k | $15 to $29k | $30 to $49k | $50 - 74k | $75 - 99k | $100k+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2015 | 50.30 | 44.20 | 40.30 | 46.10 | 44.80 | 37.70 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2015 | 33.20 | 33.60 | 32.50 | 33.10 | 31.00 | 27.70 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2015 | 28.20 | 29.60 | 26.50 | 27.80 | 27.00 | 23.50 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2015 | 26.10 | 29.40 | 24.50 | 29.10 | 28.50 | 19.90 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2015 | 18.60 | 18.10 | 16.10 | 19.10 | 15.50 | 12.50 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2015 | 34.60 | 28.30 | 22.00 | 21.50 | 20.10 | 18.80 |
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2020 | 51.90 | 44.30 | 37.40 | 39.90 | 41.60 | 38.10 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2020 | 40.50 | 33.00 | 29.60 | 25.20 | 32.20 | 30.40 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2020 | 29.80 | 26.30 | 21.60 | 21.80 | 17.60 | 21.20 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2020 | 38.90 | 33.10 | 26.30 | 23.50 | 23.60 | 24.10 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2020 | 20.10 | 17.30 | 19.40 | 15.00 | 17.90 | 20.20 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2020 | 32.70 | 31.10 | 22.40 | 26.80 | 24.60 | 25.30 |
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2025 | 61.10 | 47.70 | 48.30 | 46.00 | 47.10 | 38.80 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2025 | 49.60 | 43.00 | 40.20 | 36.60 | 31.70 | 30.10 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2025 | 36.60 | 31.20 | 30.20 | 24.10 | 26.80 | 23.00 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2025 | 45.00 | 36.80 | 32.90 | 32.70 | 30.30 | 27.40 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2025 | 24.10 | 23.10 | 24.20 | 22.40 | 22.10 | 21.30 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2025 | 35.60 | 32.10 | 27.80 | 28.10 | 31.10 | 24.30 |
| BY CAREGIVER LGBTQIA+ | Year | Yes LGBTQIA+ | No, not LGBTQIA+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2015 | 40.40 | 43.30 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2015 | 23.70 | 32.20 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2015 | 23.00 | 27.20 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2015 | 30.60 | 25.30 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2015 | 19.90 | 16.00 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2015 | 24.50 | 23.40 |
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2020 | 50.70 | 40.10 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2020 | 41.10 | 30.10 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2020 | 34.50 | 21.20 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2020 | 41.50 | 25.40 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2020 | 23.30 | 18.30 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2020 | 41.10 | 25.00 |
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2025 | 46.50 | 43.60 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2025 | 38.40 | 34.00 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2025 | 28.80 | 25.30 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2025 | 34.30 | 30.20 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2025 | 21.80 | 22.00 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2025 | 31.00 | 26.90 |
| BY CAREGIVER RACE | Year | White non-Hispanic | Black non-Hispanic | Asian, Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic | Other | Hispanic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2015 | 41.70 | 41.40 | 49.30 | 39.30 | 50.30 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2015 | 28.60 | 38.80 | 33.60 | 29.20 | 39.00 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2015 | 25.20 | 24.60 | 35.30 | 21.10 | 34.90 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2015 | 24.30 | 28.80 | 25.60 | 11.50 | 30.00 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2015 | 14.40 | 19.90 | 16.10 | 15.10 | 22.10 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2015 | 18.50 | 25.50 | 23.50 | 32.10 | 37.90 |
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2020 | 36.60 | 46.70 | 33.90 | 50.40 | 50.40 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2020 | 28.10 | 40.90 | 27.40 | 36.20 | 32.30 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2020 | 20.80 | 23.10 | 19.00 | 29.10 | 27.10 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2020 | 23.50 | 38.20 | 22.10 | 28.10 | 28.10 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2020 | 17.80 | 25.00 | 18.10 | 14.60 | 17.00 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2020 | 21.10 | 33.20 | 20.10 | 26.80 | 41.20 |
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2025 | 41.60 | 48.10 | 43.10 | 50.60 | 50.50 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2025 | 32.10 | 44.30 | 28.60 | 36.40 | 40.30 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2025 | 23.20 | 32.50 | 25.70 | 24.70 | 33.30 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2025 | 29.40 | 37.70 | 25.30 | 31.10 | 34.90 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2025 | 21.30 | 29.70 | 16.90 | 20.00 | 22.90 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2025 | 22.20 | 32.30 | 26.80 | 35.00 | 41.50 |
| BY CHOICE | Year | Had a choice | Did not have a choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2015 | 44.30 | 42.10 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2015 | 29.40 | 34.00 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2015 | 27.80 | 25.80 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2015 | 22.20 | 29.60 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2015 | 12.40 | 20.40 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2015 | 22.60 | 24.30 |
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2020 | 41.90 | 39.70 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2020 | 28.30 | 33.00 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2020 | 20.30 | 23.90 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2020 | 22.60 | 30.10 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2020 | 14.10 | 22.40 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2020 | 25.80 | 26.80 |
| Q22a: Getting in and out of beds and chairs | 2025 | 44.70 | 44.40 |
| Q22b: Getting dressed | 2025 | 33.50 | 36.20 |
| Q22c: Getting to and from the toilet | 2025 | 25.70 | 26.70 |
| Q22d: Bathing or showering | 2025 | 28.80 | 33.00 |
| Q22e: By dealing with incontinence or diapers | 2025 | 19.20 | 24.80 |
| Q22f: By feeding them | 2025 | 26.50 | 28.30 |
Notable differences in ADL help also exist for some groups of caregivers. More paid family caregivers than unpaid family caregivers help with any ADLs (77 percent compared with 63 percent). African American/Black (2.2 ADLs on average) and Hispanic/Latino (2.2 ADLs on average) family caregivers help with more ADLs, on average, than all family caregivers of adults (1.9 ADLs on average).
In terms of gender differences, female family caregivers more often help with dressing (38 percent compared with 30), bathing (34 percent compared with 27 percent), and incontinence management (24 percent compared with 20 percent) than male caregivers. Male family caregivers more often assist with getting in and out of beds and chairs (47 percent compared with 43 percent).
Overall, providing support with ADLs can be taxing for caregivers. Among caregivers performing ADLs, nearly one in four (23 percent) say it is difficult to assist their recipient with these tasks (figure 17).
Difficulty of Helping with ADLs
Instrumental activities of daily living, or IADLs, are complex tasks necessary for independent living, such as managing finances, preparing hot meals, shopping, housekeeping, and using transportation. Caregivers may help someone with either ADLs or IADLs or a combination of these activities. Caregivers help with an average of 4.5 IADLs (see figure 18). Eighty-four percent of caregivers assist their care recipient with three or more IADLs, up from 77 percent in 2015. More caregivers help with grocery or other shopping (81 percent, up from 78 percent), preparing meals (67 percent, up from 64 percent), and giving medicine, pills, or injections (55 percent, up from 50 percent).6 More female caregivers assist with shopping (82 percent compared with 78 percent of male caregivers), housework (79 percent compared with 75 percent), and preparing meals (70 percent compared with 63 percent).
Help with Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)
| CATEGORY | Year | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2015 | 49.80 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2015 | 57.60 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2015 | 77.80 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2015 | 76.30 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2015 | 64.10 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2015 | 80.30 |
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2020 | 46.30 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2020 | 53.50 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2020 | 75.70 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2020 | 72.40 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2020 | 60.90 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2020 | 77.60 |
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2025 | 55.20 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2025 | 57.80 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2025 | 80.60 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2025 | 77.10 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2025 | 67.40 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2025 | 78.90 |
| BY CAREGIVER AGE | Year | 18 to 34 | 35 to 44 | 45 to 54 | 55 to 64 | 65 to 74 | 75 or older |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2015 | 44.40 | 47.10 | 46.10 | 47.50 | 44.30 | 51.60 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2015 | 43.30 | 50.80 | 54.00 | 60.90 | 55.90 | 67.20 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2015 | 69.20 | 73.90 | 78.10 | 82.10 | 74.80 | 77.50 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2015 | 82.00 | 76.20 | 72.40 | 65.10 | 66.10 | 63.60 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2015 | 61.10 | 56.10 | 66.20 | 60.10 | 57.90 | 61.50 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2015 | 72.80 | 76.50 | 76.80 | 82.00 | 83.90 | 75.90 |
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2020 | 48.70 | 51.30 | 48.90 | 48.50 | 50.40 | 56.00 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2020 | 43.30 | 61.80 | 57.30 | 65.30 | 61.10 | 67.40 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2020 | 78.60 | 78.40 | 75.70 | 79.00 | 78.60 | 73.60 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2020 | 87.00 | 78.10 | 75.40 | 73.00 | 66.60 | 66.20 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2020 | 67.90 | 63.80 | 64.90 | 59.20 | 66.20 | 62.10 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2020 | 74.90 | 80.10 | 79.30 | 84.40 | 85.50 | 79.20 |
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2025 | 60.20 | 59.00 | 57.90 | 50.50 | 51.10 | 49.70 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2025 | 46.30 | 56.80 | 58.20 | 63.80 | 61.60 | 62.10 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2025 | 81.50 | 79.40 | 82.50 | 80.40 | 79.70 | 79.50 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2025 | 86.00 | 80.00 | 80.40 | 72.90 | 67.80 | 71.60 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2025 | 74.20 | 66.70 | 68.30 | 62.00 | 65.80 | 69.80 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2025 | 70.40 | 78.70 | 80.70 | 82.30 | 80.10 | 83.60 |
| BY CAREGIVER EDUCATION | Year | Less than high school | High school grad | Some college or Associates | Bachelors degree | Masters degree or above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2015 | 61.10 | 48.00 | 46.40 | 37.20 | 46.80 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2015 | 49.10 | 51.70 | 50.70 | 51.80 | 67.40 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2015 | 69.30 | 77.80 | 74.60 | 77.90 | 74.40 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2015 | 74.10 | 74.30 | 74.80 | 69.70 | 66.60 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2015 | 74.30 | 63.80 | 61.20 | 51.10 | 60.80 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2015 | 73.50 | 75.40 | 77.80 | 79.10 | 81.90 |
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2020 | 47.80 | 50.10 | 52.00 | 45.30 | 51.30 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2020 | 46.10 | 57.30 | 58.70 | 56.10 | 63.40 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2020 | 80.60 | 80.20 | 80.20 | 72.90 | 73.10 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2020 | 83.00 | 76.20 | 79.50 | 71.40 | 72.90 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2020 | 75.30 | 62.50 | 68.70 | 58.60 | 59.30 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2020 | 69.00 | 80.70 | 81.70 | 78.10 | 84.50 |
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2025 | 64.60 | 58.00 | 56.00 | 49.70 | 50.10 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2025 | 47.20 | 53.30 | 58.50 | 61.60 | 65.80 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2025 | 83.50 | 83.50 | 81.70 | 76.00 | 76.90 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2025 | 88.70 | 79.70 | 78.40 | 72.90 | 68.20 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2025 | 81.60 | 72.40 | 67.60 | 59.40 | 59.40 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2025 | 72.50 | 77.70 | 80.80 | 78.90 | 80.70 |
| BY CAREGIVER EMPLOYMENT | Year | Employed | Not employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2015 | 44.00 | 49.60 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2015 | 55.20 | 51.00 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2015 | 73.30 | 79.30 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2015 | 70.90 | 74.70 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2015 | 55.90 | 68.40 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2015 | 77.50 | 77.80 |
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2020 | 48.10 | 52.40 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2020 | 58.90 | 55.60 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2020 | 77.10 | 78.80 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2020 | 78.00 | 73.60 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2020 | 61.40 | 68.40 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2020 | 80.80 | 79.50 |
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2025 | 54.00 | 57.10 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2025 | 59.40 | 55.70 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2025 | 79.50 | 82.40 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2025 | 76.40 | 78.40 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2025 | 65.40 | 70.60 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2025 | 38.50 | 79.70 |
| BY CAREGIVER GENDER | Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2015 | 46.70 | 46.00 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2015 | 57.80 | 50.60 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2015 | 74.70 | 76.30 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2015 | 69.90 | 74.10 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2015 | 56.60 | 63.90 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2015 | 76.70 | 78.20 |
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2020 | 48.90 | 50.30 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2020 | 61.00 | 55.50 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2020 | 75.90 | 78.90 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2020 | 75.50 | 76.80 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2020 | 61.20 | 66.00 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2020 | 82.30 | 79.00 |
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2025 | 52.50 | 57.00 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2025 | 58.40 | 57.80 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2025 | 78.50 | 82.10 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2025 | 74.60 | 78.80 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2025 | 63.40 | 70.10 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2025 | 77.90 | 79.80 |
| BY CAREGIVER HOUSEHOLD INCOME | Year | Under $15k | $15 to $29k | $30 to $49k | $50 - 74k | $75 - 99k | $100k+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2015 | 51.00 | 48.30 | 42.00 | 49.30 | 47.40 | 42.90 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2015 | 48.10 | 48.70 | 51.20 | 51.60 | 63.70 | 57.20 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2015 | 71.70 | 77.90 | 78.80 | 77.50 | 76.30 | 72.10 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2015 | 75.30 | 74.00 | 77.10 | 72.90 | 66.50 | 69.00 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2015 | 69.30 | 60.80 | 58.70 | 61.50 | 61.60 | 57.60 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2015 | 73.30 | 77.30 | 74.20 | 82.80 | 81.70 | 76.60 |
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2020 | 54.90 | 53.20 | 46.20 | 47.40 | 55.70 | 47.60 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2020 | 47.50 | 55.10 | 56.00 | 60.70 | 59.80 | 59.30 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2020 | 86.40 | 78.80 | 79.90 | 74.90 | 78.80 | 75.40 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2020 | 82.10 | 82.60 | 77.90 | 78.30 | 75.00 | 71.10 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2020 | 69.10 | 73.60 | 65.20 | 63.10 | 65.80 | 58.60 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2020 | 81.10 | 75.80 | 81.00 | 77.80 | 81.90 | 82.10 |
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2025 | 63.80 | 54.40 | 60.80 | 56.40 | 55.80 | 51.40 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2025 | 49.20 | 49.80 | 54.40 | 58.70 | 54.80 | 62.40 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2025 | 86.50 | 85.20 | 85.10 | 83.50 | 80.30 | 76.00 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2025 | 88.30 | 83.30 | 81.70 | 79.20 | 78.90 | 71.30 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2025 | 84.60 | 75.40 | 73.50 | 70.60 | 69.20 | 59.30 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2025 | 70.60 | 74.60 | 76.20 | 82.00 | 78.30 | 80.70 |
| BY CAREGIVER LGBTQIA+ | Year | Yes LGBTQIA+ | No, not LGBTQIA+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2015 | 51.00 | 45.90 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2015 | 57.90 | 53.20 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2015 | 68.80 | 76.40 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2015 | 76.50 | 72.00 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2015 | 64.60 | 60.60 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2015 | 74.40 | 77.90 |
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2020 | 53.30 | 49.90 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2020 | 51.70 | 58.30 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2020 | 83.30 | 77.30 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2020 | 81.90 | 75.80 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2020 | 69.50 | 63.80 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2020 | 80.40 | 80.30 |
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2025 | 55.80 | 54.40 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2025 | 51.10 | 58.20 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2025 | 80.50 | 80.20 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2025 | 81.50 | 76.10 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2025 | 68.00 | 66.60 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2025 | 74.50 | 79.00 |
| BY CAREGIVER RACE | Year | White non-Hispanic | Black non-Hispanic | Asian, Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic | Other | Hispanic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2015 | 43.60 | 48.50 | 48.90 | 44.40 | 57.40 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2015 | 54.30 | 55.00 | 62.00 | 51.70 | 52.40 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2015 | 75.90 | 78.40 | 81.60 | 70.50 | 73.90 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2015 | 71.60 | 73.70 | 77.10 | 77.20 | 75.10 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2015 | 61.00 | 60.20 | 63.90 | 73.20 | 61.70 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2015 | 77.70 | 72.50 | 85.30 | 75.60 | 79.30 |
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2020 | 44.10 | 59.20 | 54.30 | 47.50 | 60.20 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2020 | 55.80 | 63.80 | 67.50 | 52.50 | 57.00 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2020 | 77.20 | 74.50 | 72.20 | 91.80 | 82.50 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2020 | 75.20 | 77.00 | 68.70 | 79.10 | 81.90 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2020 | 61.30 | 70.20 | 66.50 | 70.00 | 68.00 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2020 | 80.70 | 83.20 | 82.40 | 72.90 | 77.50 |
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2025 | 50.60 | 67.50 | 60.30 | 57.20 | 60.90 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2025 | 55.80 | 62.30 | 63.50 | 51.30 | 62.20 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2025 | 80.50 | 80.90 | 79.90 | 82.20 | 80.50 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2025 | 77.10 | 78.90 | 62.40 | 85.10 | 77.40 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2025 | 66.10 | 72.10 | 55.60 | 72.90 | 70.40 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2025 | 79.40 | 78.60 | 81.40 | 75.30 | 77.70 |
| BY CHOICE | Year | Had a choice | Did not have a choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2015 | 39.40 | 53.50 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2015 | 43.10 | 63.80 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2015 | 69.70 | 81.60 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2015 | 70.50 | 74.40 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2015 | 56.90 | 65.20 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2015 | 74.10 | 81.00 |
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2020 | 45.70 | 53.50 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2020 | 47.30 | 66.80 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2020 | 76.60 | 78.80 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2020 | 76.60 | 75.90 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2020 | 61.90 | 66.20 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2020 | 76.90 | 83.50 |
| Q22g: By giving medicines, like pills, eye drops, or injections for their condition | 2025 | 52.20 | 57.40 |
| Q23a: Managing finances, such as paying bills or filling out insurance claims | 2025 | 47.10 | 66.30 |
| Q23b: Grocery or other shopping | 2025 | 76.60 | 83.80 |
| Q23c: Housework, such as doing dishes, laundry, or straightening up | 2025 | 74.90 | 79.10 |
| Q23d: Preparing meals | 2025 | 63.20 | 70.70 |
| Q23e: Transportation, either by driving them, or helping them get transportation | 2025 | 74.00 | 82.80 |
Despite the prevalence of ADL and IADL help, caregivers rarely receive formal training on providing this critical help. Only 11 percent report receiving any training or preparation to assist with ADLs, IADLs, or behavioral management and modification. African American/Black family caregivers are more often trained to assist with ADLs (17 percent) than all caregivers. Those who did report receiving training were trained by a nurse (28 percent), doctor or physician (22 percent), or nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant (20 percent; see figure 19). Recently introduced billing codes allow healthcare providers to be paid by Medicare for providing caregivers of Medicare enrollees training on these types of tasks. See Medicare Caregiver Training Service Billing Codes. This is just one avenue for offering training to more family caregivers.
Sources of Training for ADLs and IADLs for Caregivers Receiving Training
CMS has implemented payment policies in recent years intended to better support and empower nonprofessional caregivers. In the Calendar Year (CY) 2017 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), CMS finalized Medicare payment for providers administering caregiver-focused health risk assessments to benefit patients. More recently, the CY 2024 PFS finalized Medicare payment for select family caregiver training services, introducing current procedural terminology (CPT) codes that enable health care providers to receive reimbursement for training furnished to caregivers alongside diagnostic and treatment services for patients, helping caregivers carry out treatment plans.
Caregiver training services (CTS) codes
Behavior management/modification training (96202, 96203)
Caregivers are taught by treating practitioners how to structure the patient’s environment to support and reinforce desired patient behaviors, to reduce the negative impacts of the patient’s diagnosis on the patient’s daily life, and to develop highly structured technical skills to manage the patient’s challenging behavior.
Education/training for patient self-management (97550, 97551, 97552)
Caregivers are taught by treating practitioners how to facilitate the patient’s ADLs, IADLs, transfers, mobility, communication, swallowing, feeding, safety practices, and problem solving to reduce the negative impacts of the patient’s diagnosis on the patient’s daily life and to help the patient carry out a treatment plan.
Who can bill CTS codes?
Medicare-approved non-physician practitioners (NPPs) can bill for CTS codes. This includes nurse practitioners (NPs), clinical nurse specialists (CNSs), certified nurse-midwives (CNMs), physician assistants (PAs), clinical psychologists (CPs), clinical social workers (CSWs), marriage and family therapists (MFTs), mental health counselors (MHCs), physical therapists (PTs), occupational therapists (OTs), and speech language pathologists (SLPs). All NPPs must be qualified health care professionals practicing within their license to bill for these codes.
Why use CTS codes?
Caregivers (defined as an adult family member or other individual who assists a patient with a physical or mental limitation) can play a key role in carrying out treatment plans related to physical, occupational, or speech-language therapy as well as other activities. Where the provider believes a caregiver’s involvement is valuable in ensuring a successful treatment plan and the patient agrees to caregiver involvement, caregiver training may be provided.
How CTS codes are used
- There is no limit to how many times CTS codes can be billed. The medical necessity should determine the volume and frequency of training (the quantity must be considered reasonable and necessary).
- CTS codes can be furnished in both facility and nonfacility settings.
- CTS codes can be furnished in person or virtually.
The Level of Care Index, first developed in the 1997 study Family Caregiving in the US (a predecessor to this research) and used in the 2004, 2009, 2015, and 2020 Caregiving in the US studies,7 is replicated in this 2025 study to convey a simple measure of the intensity of the caregiving situation. The index is based on the number of hours of care given as well as the number of ADLs and IADLs performed. The details of index construction are shown in appendix B.
Four in 10 caregivers are in high-intensity situations (44 percent), 19 percent are in medium-intensity situations, and 37 percent are in low-intensity situations (see figure 20). A greater share of African American/Black and Hispanic/Latino caregivers are in the high-intensity index group compared with all caregivers.
Level of Care Index
| CATEGORY | Year | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|
| Low | 2015 | 41.60 |
| Medium | 2015 | 18.30 |
| High | 2015 | 40.00 |
| Low | 2020 | 43.20 |
| Medium | 2020 | 16.30 |
| High | 2020 | 40.50 |
| Low | 2025 | 36.80 |
| Medium | 2025 | 18.80 |
| High | 2025 | 44.30 |
| BY CAREGIVER AGE | Year | 18 to 34 | 35 to 44 | 45 to 54 | 55 to 64 | 65 to 74 | 75 or older |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 2015 | 43.60 | 42.70 | 44.00 | 37.10 | 42.30 | 37.20 |
| Medium | 2015 | 23.50 | 18.50 | 15.20 | 20.00 | 12.70 | 14.90 |
| High | 2015 | 32.90 | 38.80 | 40.80 | 42.90 | 44.90 | 48.00 |
| Low | 2020 | 41.60 | 39.90 | 46.00 | 44.60 | 41.70 | 45.90 |
| Medium | 2020 | 14.80 | 17.90 | 15.20 | 17.50 | 18.10 | 14.20 |
| High | 2020 | 43.60 | 42.10 | 38.80 | 37.90 | 40.30 | 40.00 |
| Low | 2025 | 32.90 | 33.90 | 40.80 | 39.10 | 39.20 | 33.00 |
| Medium | 2025 | 22.00 | 19.60 | 16.30 | 19.80 | 16.30 | 16.80 |
| High | 2025 | 45.10 | 46.50 | 42.90 | 41.10 | 44.50 | 50.20 |
| BY CAREGIVER EDUCATION | Year | Less than high school | High school grad | Some college or Associates | Bachelors degree | Masters degree or above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 2015 | 30.90 | 39.10 | 39.80 | 49.20 | 45.60 |
| Medium | 2015 | 20.90 | 15.60 | 19.50 | 20.60 | 16.90 |
| High | 2015 | 48.20 | 45.30 | 40.70 | 30.30 | 37.50 |
| Low | 2020 | 32.60 | 43.50 | 39.40 | 52.00 | 43.60 |
| Medium | 2020 | 13.30 | 15.90 | 16.90 | 15.40 | 18.40 |
| High | 2020 | 54.10 | 40.60 | 43.70 | 32.60 | 38.00 |
| Low | 2025 | 19.60 | 29.80 | 38.00 | 45.80 | 45.90 |
| Medium | 2025 | 22.70 | 18.90 | 17.30 | 20.20 | 18.10 |
| High | 2025 | 57.80 | 51.30 | 44.70 | 33.90 | 36.00 |
| BY CAREGIVER EMPLOYMENT | Year | Employed | Not employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 2015 | 47.00 | 33.50 |
| Medium | 2015 | 18.80 | 17.60 |
| High | 2015 | 34.10 | 48.80 |
| Low | 2020 | 45.30 | 40.00 |
| Medium | 2020 | 17.90 | 13.80 |
| High | 2020 | 36.90 | 46.30 |
| Low | 2025 | 39.50 | 32.60 |
| Medium | 2025 | 20.40 | 16.60 |
| High | 2025 | 40.10 | 50.90 |
| BY CAREGIVER GENDER | Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 2015 | 40.70 | 42.30 |
| Medium | 2015 | 20.10 | 17.20 |
| High | 2015 | 39.20 | 40.60 |
| Low | 2020 | 44.40 | 42.50 |
| Medium | 2020 | 17.20 | 15.70 |
| High | 2020 | 38.40 | 41.80 |
| Low | 2025 | 39.30 | 35.10 |
| Medium | 2025 | 18.90 | 18.80 |
| High | 2025 | 41.80 | 46.10 |
| BY CAREGIVER HOUSEHOLD INCOME | Year | Under $15k | $15 to $29k | $30 to $49k | $50 - 74k | $75 - 99k | $100k+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 2015 | 28.40 | 37.90 | 43.10 | 40.60 | 47.20 | 47.70 |
| Medium | 2015 | 20.40 | 20.10 | 15.60 | 16.30 | 14.60 | 21.90 |
| High | 2015 | 51.20 | 42.00 | 41.30 | 43.00 | 38.30 | 30.40 |
| Low | 2020 | 38.70 | 32.70 | 44.20 | 45.30 | 40.50 | 47.90 |
| Medium | 2020 | 14.20 | 14.10 | 15.30 | 14.20 | 20.90 | 17.30 |
| High | 2020 | 47.10 | 53.10 | 40.50 | 40.50 | 38.60 | 34.80 |
| Low | 2025 | 18.90 | 24.10 | 29.70 | 31.70 | 37.70 | 46.30 |
| Medium | 2025 | 16.40 | 20.70 | 17.80 | 20.90 | 18.50 | 18.50 |
| High | 2025 | 64.70 | 55.20 | 52.50 | 47.40 | 43.80 | 35.20 |
| BY CAREGIVER LGBTQIA+ | Year | Yes LGBTQIA+ | No, not LGBTQIA+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 2015 | 43.00 | 41.70 |
| Medium | 2015 | 14.60 | 18.70 |
| High | 2015 | 42.40 | 39.60 |
| Low | 2020 | 26.90 | 44.40 |
| Medium | 2020 | 16.30 | 16.50 |
| High | 2020 | 56.80 | 39.10 |
| Low | 2025 | 36.10 | 37.70 |
| Medium | 2025 | 19.00 | 19.00 |
| High | 2025 | 44.90 | 43.30 |
| BY CAREGIVER RACE | Year | White non-Hispanic | Black non-Hispanic | Asian, Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic | Other | Hispanic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 2015 | 46.40 | 37.00 | 39.30 | 32.40 | 29.80 |
| Medium | 2015 | 17.20 | 18.80 | 22.30 | 30.50 | 19.10 |
| High | 2015 | 36.40 | 44.20 | 38.30 | 37.10 | 51.10 |
| Low | 2020 | 48.20 | 29.40 | 47.40 | 35.20 | 37.20 |
| Medium | 2020 | 16.80 | 16.30 | 16.70 | 22.50 | 13.20 |
| High | 2020 | 35.00 | 54.30 | 35.90 | 42.30 | 49.60 |
| Low | 2025 | 41.10 | 27.70 | 46.00 | 29.40 | 27.90 |
| Medium | 2025 | 17.80 | 20.80 | 18.10 | 21.60 | 20.40 |
| High | 2025 | 41.10 | 51.50 | 35.90 | 49.00 | 51.60 |
| BY CHOICE | Year | Had a choice | Did not have a choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 2015 | 45.60 | 37.60 |
| Medium | 2015 | 20.40 | 16.10 |
| High | 2015 | 34.00 | 46.30 |
| Low | 2020 | 45.70 | 40.90 |
| Medium | 2020 | 17.80 | 15.10 |
| High | 2020 | 36.50 | 44.00 |
| Low | 2025 | 41.80 | 33.10 |
| Medium | 2025 | 20.00 | 17.70 |
| High | 2025 | 38.20 | 49.20 |
Expanded Level of Care Index
| CATEGORY | Year | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|
| Low | 2025 | 28.30 |
| Medium | 2025 | 14.80 |
| High | 2025 | 56.90 |
| BY CAREGIVER AGE | Year | 18 to 34 | 35 to 44 | 45 to 54 | 55 to 64 | 65 to 74 | 75 or older |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 2025 | 26.40 | 25.50 | 29.30 | 31.20 | 31.10 | 23.20 |
| Medium | 2025 | 18.60 | 14.30 | 13.90 | 15.60 | 12.30 | 11.20 |
| High | 2025 | 54.90 | 60.20 | 56.80 | 53.10 | 56.60 | 65.70 |
| BY CAREGIVER EDUCATION | Year | Less than high school | High school grad | Some college or Associates | Bachelors degree | Masters degree or above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 2025 | 21.20 | 21.40 | 27.20 | 36.30 | 36.70 |
| Medium | 2025 | 11.40 | 12.30 | 15.10 | 18.40 | 16.20 |
| High | 2025 | 67.40 | 66.30 | 57.70 | 45.30 | 47.10 |
| BY CAREGIVER EMPLOYMENT | Year | Employed | Not employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 2025 | 31.10 | 24.00 |
| Medium | 2025 | 16.30 | 12.70 |
| High | 2025 | 52.70 | 63.40 |
| BY CAREGIVER GENDER | Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 2025 | 30.80 | 26.50 |
| Medium | 2025 | 16.20 | 14.00 |
| High | 2025 | 53.00 | 59.50 |
| BY CAREGIVER HOUSEHOLD INCOME | Year | Under $10k | $10K to $24,999 | $25K-$49,999 | $50 - 74k | $75 - 99k | $100k+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 2025 | 19.30 | 19.30 | 19.70 | 23.70 | 26.20 | 37.10 |
| Medium | 2025 | 4.60 | 10.90 | 15.20 | 13.70 | 17.50 | 16.40 |
| High | 2025 | 76.10 | 69.80 | 65.10 | 62.60 | 56.30 | 46.50 |
| BY CAREGIVER LGBTQIA+ | Year | Yes LGBTQIA+ | No, not LGBTQIA+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 2025 | 22.50 | 29.50 |
| Medium | 2025 | 14.50 | 15.10 |
| High | 2025 | 63.00 | 55.40 |
| BY CAREGIVER RACE | Year | White non-Hispanic | Black non-Hispanic | Asian, Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic | Other | Hispanic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 2025 | 30.90 | 23.00 | 35.20 | 24.80 | 21.90 |
| Medium | 2025 | 14.80 | 16.10 | 14.30 | 15.00 | 14.00 |
| High | 2025 | 54.30 | 60.90 | 50.50 | 60.20 | 64.10 |
| BY CHOICE | Year | Had a choice | Did not have a choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 2025 | 35.80 | 22.40 |
| Medium | 2025 | 14.50 | 15.10 |
| High | 2025 | 49.70 | 62.50 |
The original Level of Care Index measures objective caregiving effort through two equally weighted components: hours spent caregiving and ADL/IADL tasks performed by the caregiver. The original Level of Care Index does not account for the subjective experience of caregiving, an area of growing focus in caregiving research.
For 2025, we have developed a new Expanded Level of Care Index that balances both objective and subjective measures of the caregiving experience with the inclusion of two survey items (in addition to the original metrics): the ease of coordinating care and the availability of other help (paid and unpaid). The details of index construction are shown in appendix B. Figure 20 shows the comparison of how family caregivers are distributed across each level of intensity across the two indices.
In addition to ADLs and IADLs, many caregivers take on medical and nursing tasks that are typically handled by health care professionals. These tasks—like administering injections and managing catheters—are performed by 55 percent of caregivers (figure 30), yet only 22 percent receive training, most commonly from medical professionals and personal relationships. Female caregivers more often assist with medical and nursing tasks (58 percent compared with 51 percent of male caregivers). African American/Black family caregivers more often report helping with medical and nursing tasks (62 percent) and are more often trained to do these complex care tasks (27 percent) than all other caregivers.
Nearly one in five caregivers say doing these medical and nursing tasks is difficult (22 percent). A greater share of AANHPI caregivers say doing medical tasks for their care recipient is difficult (27 percent). Lower-income caregivers—those with household incomes of less than $50,000—help with medical and nursing tasks more often (59 percent) and more often report that those tasks were difficult (25 percent) compared with higher-income caregivers.
Assistance with Medical and Nursing Tasks
Among those who received training, nearly all felt the training prepared them to take on these tasks well (96 percent). This highlights the importance of training and preparation for difficult tasks to ensure caregivers’ sense of assurance and success.
Sources for Training on Medical/Nursing Tasks for Caregivers Receiving Training
Caregivers are also key players in managing health care: 70 percent monitor care recipients’ health conditions, 64 percent communicate with care recipients’ providers, and 58 percent advocate for their care recipients’ needs with providers, community services, or government agencies (see figure 23).
Interactions with Health Care Providers
Female family caregivers more often take on these care coordination tasks than do male caregivers. Female caregivers more often report monitoring the severity of the condition (72 percent vs. 67 percent of male family caregivers), communicating with health care providers (67 percent vs. 60 percent), and advocating for their recipient with those providers (61 percent vs. 54 percent). Communicating with providers is more common among African American/Black (70 percent) and AANHPI family caregivers (73 percent), compared with all caregivers, as is advocating on their recipient’s behalf (65 percent African American/Black and 69 percent AANHPI). LGTBQ+ caregivers less often report communicating with health care providers (53 percent vs. 65 percent).
Younger family caregivers are less likely to interact with health care professionals. Those ages 18 to 49 are least likely to communicate with providers (57 percent vs. 70 percent of caregivers ages 50 or older) or to advocate on their recipient’s behalf (52 percent vs. 63 percent of caregivers ages 50 or older). This is consistent with research that shows younger family caregivers ages 18 to 34 have more difficulty getting in touch with health care providers and are slightly less satisfied with their interactions with health care providers (Raimondi 2024).
Among family caregivers whose care recipient has been in the hospital overnight in the past year, 70 percent said they were included in discussions about their recipient’s care. Being included in care conversations during hospitalization episodes is lowest among family caregivers who are ages 18 to 49 (64 percent) and those who identify as LGBTQ+ (60 percent).
Care coordination remains a challenge for many family caregivers; only 6 in 10 report that coordinating care with health professionals is easy (58 percent), continuing a downward trend from 2015 (65 percent) and 2020 (59 percent; see figure 24). One in three AANHPI caregivers (34 percent) report difficulty in coordinating care for their care recipient, a figure that is 7 percentage points higher than that of caregivers overall.
Ease of Coordinating Care
As the nature and complexity of caregiving evolve, family caregivers are increasingly turning to technology solutions to help manage evolving care demands. Thirty-nine percent of caregivers use digital tools to manage care recipients’ finances. Even more striking is the rapid adoption of remote monitoring technologies such as apps, video platforms, wearables, and other monitoring systems. This usage has nearly doubled since 2020, with a quarter of caregivers now using these tools to check on care recipients from a distance (25 percent, up from 13 percent in 2020; see figure 25). Four in 10 family caregivers now report using technology or software to track their recipient’s personal health records (41 percent, up from 30 percent in 2020), a figure that is higher among female caregivers (43 percent) compared with male caregivers (38 percent).
This technological integration extends to other aspects of caregiving as well. One in five caregivers use assistive devices to support their recipient’s independence (20 percent), whereas a similar proportion uses electronic task lists and schedules for care management (19 percent). Younger caregivers, compared with caregivers over 50, more readily embrace technology solutions like remote monitoring (30 percent vs. 22 percent) and digital organizational tools like electronic lists or spreadsheets (22 percent vs. 17 percent).
Among all caregivers, increasing use of technology suggests a shift in caregiving practices, possibly accelerated by the pandemic, the expanding marketplace of digital caregiving solutions, and the aging of digital natives.
Overall, family caregivers report helping with a variety of tasks across a wide spectrum of intensity and difficulty. As caregiving continues to shift in scope, intensity, and complexity—driven by demographic, technological, and health care changes—understanding caregivers’ role is essential. Only by recognizing the full picture of caregiving can we begin to provide them with the support they need.
6 Paid family caregivers are significantly more likely to prepare meals (73 percent vs. 66 percent of unpaid family caregivers) and to give medicines, pills, or injections (64 percent vs. 53 percent).
7 In the 1997, 2004, 2009, and 2015 waves, this index was referred to as the Burden of Care Index, with each level of the index referred to as high, moderate or medium, and low “burden.” For the 2020 cycle, the name was adjusted to Level of Care Index, with each level referred to with the word “intensity,” as this index is one way to measure the intensity or complexity of the caregiving situation.