The Complexity of Seniors Caring for Seniors: How Demographic Shifts are Causing Changes in the Caregiving Role

Caregiving comes in many forms. 

Yet, when we talk about seniors, we’re often referring to adult children caring for their aging parents. Most of the articles you’ll find online target this group. The same is true for support systems. 

One critical emerging pattern is seniors who are providing care, rather than receiving it. 

Seniors as Caregivers

Modern medicine means that people often life longer and have functional lives well into their 90s and even beyond. While that pattern is amazing in many ways, it is something that our society simply hasn’t adapted for. 

One outcome is that people in their 60s and 70s often end up caring for aging parents – who may be in their 80s, 90s or beyond.  

In fact, one study looked at caregiving roles for people whose parents were still alive. The authors found the following key facts:

• Roughly 17% of adult children provide caregiving support for their parents at some point. 
• The liklihood of caring for parents increases with age.
• 10% of adults aged from 60 to 69 act as caregivers. 
• 12% of adults aged 70 or above act as caregivers.
• Seniors who are 80 or above tend to be less healthy and are more likely to need support.  

How Aging Caregivers Struggle

Late-life caregiving isn’t just an unexpected situation, it can also be a very challenging one. 

The role isn’t necessarily short either. Modern medicine means that people can often live a long time, even when faced with challenging health conditions.

Seniors are Vulnerable

Aging takes a physical toll. Even healthy older adults tend to be more vulnerable than their younger counterparts and experience injury more often. This pattern means that seniors are less likely to recover from physical challenges. 

Physical challenges are common in caregiving too. Caregivers often need to do tasks like helping a senior to get out of bed or into a car, or helping them to bathe. Even having to regularly wake in the night can be challenging and means that the caregiver’s body does not have the rest it needs to recover well. 

Many seniors also face physical conditions of their own. These can make it more difficult to provide care.  

To make matters worse, some caregivers find it difficult to take care of their own health needs. Some find that there simply isn’t the time or that they feel guilty focusing on their own health when their family member has so many more needs. 

The end result is that caregivers often struggle with physical and mental health. Late-life caregivers are even more vulnerable.  

Indeed, the caregiving process many shorten the life expectency for some seniors. 

Emotional Distress Plays a Role

The impacts of caregiving aren’t just physical either. 

• Caregiving can be highly emotional and stressful. Research suggests that this type of stress can increase the risk of death in seniors. 
• The unexpected nature of the caregiving can often heighten stress.
• The relationship between caregiver and caree isn’t always good. There may have been previous tension between parent and child, or the parent may resent the support provided. Situations like this can increase stress dramatically. 
• Caregivers often become isolated. This is especially true for late-life seniors, as their own friends may be getting sick themselves or even passing away. 
• Financial issues can create problems and additional stress for seniors. 

Caregivers may also experience resentment and even anger. This can occur for many reasons, especially as there is a sense of losing one’s own life to care for a family member. 

The issue may be even more pronounced in late-life caregivers, as there can be a sense that their own retirement is put on hold. As one article highlighted, the senior may wonder when they will get the chance to get old themselves. 

There Are Financial Challenges

While caregiving often comes with a financial burden, this problem is particularly significant for seniors. 

For one thing, seniors tend to have few years left in the workforce, or they’ve already left it entirely. This gives them little chance to earn back any money that they spend in caregiving. 

Seniors may end up tapping into their own savings and retirment funds to support their family member. 

There’s also no guarentee that the senior will recieve that type of support from their own children. 

The Role is Often Unexpected

Because caregivers are often thought of as being in their 40s or 50s, late-life caregiving can catch many people by surprise. After all, if your parent has been healthy into their 60s and 70s, it’s easy to assume that this will continue to be the case.  

As a result, seniors often have their own retirement planned and do not picture being involved in the caregiving role.

The need for caregiving can often arise suddenly too. 

A medical diagnosis, a fall or another significant event may mean that a previously competent senior suddenly needs support. 

The Implications of Late-Life Caregiving

The pattern of seniors caring for their own parents highlights the way that caregiving is a varied role. There is no single ‘average’ caregiver. Instead, each situation is unique. 

This also means that there’s an increasing need for more policies and support for things group of caregivers – including more education around how to balance caregiving with healthy aging. 

For individuals, it’s important to remember that life is unpredictable.

You may well find that a family member suddenly needs help, even if that seems unlkely. Short-term needs for support can easily become long-term as well. 

This highlights the importance of preparing for the future and having savings. Even if you don’t end up in the caregiving role, being prepared always has advantages.