Survey: A Quarter of Caregivers Putting in Full-Time Hours

Listen

0:00 / 0:00

Key Takeaways

Care demands frequently escalate from logistical tasks to in-home, high-intensity support without training, with substantial proportions reporting 10-20, >40, and >60 weekly caregiving hours.
Career disruption can be profound, including reduced hours, forgone promotions, and workforce exits, producing long-term earnings and retirement losses in the hundreds of thousands.
Out-of-pocket spending is sizable, with 30.2% paying $1001-$5000 annually and nearly 24% exceeding $5000, underscoring the economic exposure of family-based care.
Despite high satisfaction with outside services (73%), psychological barriers persist, including guilt (35%) and feeling overwhelmed by outsourcing care (22%), alongside frequent emotional exhaustion.

US News & World Report reveals caregivers—often sandwich generation—face full-time hours, rising costs, burnout; CareYaya weighs in on demographics.

For the estimated 60 million Americans who act as caregivers,¹ the time and emotional commitment can vary. A 2026 survey from US News & World Report, published just as Evidence-Based Oncology (EBO) went to press, found that the time needed equals that of a full-time job for about a quarter of family caregivers (25.5%). Even when families can afford help from a home health agency, this isn’t always desired, the survey found.²

Family members can be called upon to care for someone for many reasons. Sometimes, the slow onset of dementia becomes impossible to ignore; although this can create uncomfortable situations, it does allow families time to prepare. More challenging are situations in which caregiving becomes a sudden responsibility due to an accident, acute illness, or another medical event. In these cases, the person needing care may have been a breadwinner whose income is now lost.

The survey results are based on responses from 302 Americans who identified as caregivers. The survey found that the shift from picking up prescriptions to offering care full-time in the home often happens without formal training or any drop-off in other life responsibilities. Findings show that 33% of caregivers spend 10 to 20 hours per week on caregiving duties, 25.5% spend more than 40 hours per week, and 15% spend more than 60 hours per week on caregiving.

Neal K. Shah, CEO of CareYaya, who was profiled in the February 2026 issue of EBO,³ described to US News how full-time caregiving has a long-term impact on the finances of family caregivers.

“Caregivers cut back big time on work hours, decline promotions, and often walk away from careers entirely, like I did and like I see many caregivers do,” he said. “The lost earnings often number in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, taking a lifetime hit to retirement savings and earnings trajectories.”

For those who rely on at least some outside help, results showed that caregiving can create a major financial burden, with 30.2% of caregivers spending between $1001 and $5000 on care in the past year. Nearly 24% of caregivers are paying even more, with 16% spending between $5001 and $10,000 and 8.3% spending more than $10,000 annually.

When families do seek outside help, they are generally satisfied—but with a twinge of guilt. Results showed that 73% were satisfied or very satisfied with the help they received; however, 35% reported feeling guilty, and 22% said they were overwhelmed at the idea of turning to professionals for help with care. Only 7% were dissatisfied, and 5% were very dissatisfied with the care their family members received.

Finally, the survey captured details on the emotional toll of caregiving. Although many would not leave the task to anyone else, the commitment can eliminate time for anything else, leading caregivers to report symptoms of burnout. The survey asked how often caregivers reported feeling overwhelmed or emotionally drained: 19% said “constantly,” 23% said “often,” 46% said “sometimes,” and 12% said “rarely/never.”

The nationwide survey was conducted via PureSpectrum in March 2026. All participants self-identified as a caregiver for an adult. Of those, 280 reported being the sole caregiver for that adult. Among the group:

50% of respondents (151 people) identified themselves as male, and 50% identified as female.
About 37% were between the ages of 35 and 44 years, 31% between the ages of 45 and 54, 17% between the ages of 55 and 64, and 16% older than 65 years.

References

Caregiving in the US 2025. AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving. July 24, 2025. Accessed January 12, 2026. https://www.aarp.org/pri/topics/ltss/family-caregiving/caregiving-in-the-us-2025/
Urban A. The financial and social costs of caregiving: 2026 US News survey. US News & World Report. May 4, 2026. Accessed May 5, 2026. https://health.usnews.com/home-care/articles/the-financial-and-social-costs-of-caregiving-2026-u-s-news-survey
Caffrey M. As cancer caregiving becomes more complex, start-up offers solutions to demographic cliff. Am J Manag Care. 2026;32(Spec 2):SP82.