Support for caregivers should be a widespread priority

A Note From Our President

When my late father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s more than a decade ago, I became one of his primary caregivers. It was a sacred responsibility—and one I felt like I needed to shoulder quietly and privately. There was just too much stigma around taking time away from work to care for a loved one, and I didn’t feel comfortable asking for the flexibility that I needed.

While we still have a long way to go, it’s heartening to see how attitudes around caregiving have started to shift. Today, more caregivers are opening up about their experiences—and more employers, lawmakers, investors, entrepreneurs, and funders are waking up to the urgent need and mutual benefit of supporting them. In a sea of troubling headlines and threats to women’s power, caregiving remains an issue we can move forward in ways that would transform the lives of so many people in this country. 

Despite the gains we’ve made, however, families desperately need more leaders to step up. The costs of child and long-term care have skyrocketed, there’s an ongoing shortage of professional care workers, and too many people are stuck without options, unable to ask for or access the help they need.

In this moment of opportunity and urgency, Pivotal is looking back at all the progress the caregiving sector has made in the last five years—and looking forward to all that’s possible if we redouble our efforts. 

- Brooke D. Anderson

Caring for a loved one is one of the most universal experiences in the world. In the United States, it’s also one of the most expensive. Even by the most conservative estimates, caregivers spend over a quarter of their income on costs related to care every year. If governments, employers, investors, and philanthropists do more to help carry the economic load, Americans will be much better able to afford the care they need.

Related reading: Support For Caregivers is Finally Growing. Let’s Build On That Momentum.

Why care about care? 💞

Three reasons why affordable care solutions should be a widespread priority:

1️⃣ All of us will need to care for a loved one or be cared for at some point in our lives. When that happens, individuals and families should be able to find affordable, accessible care solutions that meet their needs, so that care is a source of comfort and joy, rather than stress and hardship. It’s hard to imagine a more compelling reason to invest in care.

2️⃣ Our economy is powered by caregivers. As advocates have long emphasized, care is not just an individual or family issue, it’s an economic issue. Treating it as such could pave the way for solutions that boost economic growth and resilience at all levels of society.

3️⃣ Building a modern caregiving system would unlock progress for women. Women do most of the caregiving in the United States, much of it unpaid, which can have long-term effects on their health, careers, and finances. A care system purpose-built for today’s needs would allow women to step into their full power.

As the care economy continues to grow, companies are developing innovative new tools to respond to the needs of caregivers and their families. Here are a few we’re excited about:

➡️ Cocoon developed a platform that makes it easier for employees to access paid leave, saving them time so they can focus on being there for their loved ones.

➡️ Little Otter takes the guesswork out of finding mental health care by helping families access high-quality, personalized mental health support.

➡️ Synapticure offers 24/7 virtual care to people living with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS. In partnership with the federal government, it has expanded support for caregivers in all 50 states.

Jennifer Stybel, who leads Pivotal's caregiving strategy, discusses our vision for the future of caregiving with LinkedIn's Cammie Erickson.

"There are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers."

 — Rosalynn Carter, Former First Lady of the United States, Founder of the @Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers