Caregiving Across the Lifespan: An Overview of Numbers, Needs and Promising Practices

The United States is facing a massive crisis in caring for its most vulnerable populations: young children, people with disabilities, and seniors. Today, 52% of children under four are cared for by a non-relative. By 2030, 20% of the total U.S. population will be over 65. Although 3 million are currently employed in the long-term care workforce, demand is projected to grow to 27 million by 2050. Personal, home care, and home health aides are among the fastest and largest growing occupations in the United States, however these occupations also have high rates of job turnover and work-related injury because of the lack of job training, job security, and isolated workplaces. These and other domestic workers, such as nannies and housecleaners, also lack basic legal workplace protections afforded to most other workers, increasing their risk of abuse and exploitation.

This session will present an overview of caregiving in the United States today, including the demographics of caregivers and care recipient and factors impacting occupational health and safety inside private homes and the rapidly growing demand for non-institutional, in-home caregivers. The session will also discuss the interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral nature of caregiving, as it impacts the health and well-being of women, children, families, immigrants, seniors, the disabled, labor unions, and others. The session will conclude with several case studies of promising local, state, and national practices to address the national crisis in caregiving, including local and national Caring Across Generations campaign activities and regulatory changes by state and federal labor agencies.