Not just the sandwich generation: Gen Z is caregiving for older relatives as healthcare and housing costs soar

Isabella Myricle Robinson has more pressures than the average teen — not just handing in her homework on time. After her mother’s breast cancer had spread to her brain, Isabella became her mother’s primary caregiver at the age of 14, skipping school. “I know my grades suffered. But my mom needed me,” she told The New York Times Magazine.

Instead of going to her majorette rehearsals and games — which she eventually had to quit — she was tending to her mother’s wounds, helping her bathe, changing bandages, sorting pills and accompanying her to medical appointments.

She’s far from alone. More Gen Zers are finding themselves in the position of caring for their parents or older relatives, putting their own future at risk.

The state of caregiving

About 63 million Americans provide ongoing care for an adult or a child with a complex medical condition, according to the Caregiving in the U.S. 2025 report from AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving.

These caregivers are providing complex medical care and nursing tasks (such as injections and wound care) with virtually no training. For the most part, it’s unpaid work — and it takes a toll on their own health and wellbeing. Nearly one in four caregivers say they provide 40+ hours of care per week.

On average, caregivers for adults are 50.6 years old. But overall, 18% of those caregivers are between the ages of 18 to 34, bridging Gen Z and millennial generations.

It’s not surprising, then, that 90% of family caregivers show symptoms of burnout, which 20% describe as severe, according to a nationwide study by LogicMark, a provider of personal safety and connected care technology.

And Gen Z is feeling the impact more than any other generation, with nearly two-thirds (62%) saying their caregiving duties cut into job performance (versus 44% of millennials and 45% of Gen X). And half (50%) of Gen Z respondents in the survey say their caregiving duties have damaged their personal relationships, which also outpaces older generations.

While most people think caregiving is something you have to worry about in middle age, the data says something different.

“Gen Z adults are quietly carrying one of the heaviest loads, and doing it without paid leave, any financial cushion or the support systems older generations had time to build,” said Chia-Lin Simmons, CEO of LogicMark, in a release. “This is a generational emergency hiding in plain sight.”

This is happening at a time when they’re either a student or starting out in their career, taking a toll on their career prospects and financial stability. With nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts, they also face less access to home-based supports (while making it more difficult to maintain their own Medicaid coverage).

That means financial issues could extend beyond their caregiving years, impacting their own future.

Planning for the costs of caregiving

Almost three out of four (72%) of Gen Zers plan to care for their aging parents — such as serving as a caregiver or having their parents move in with them as they age — according to a Caring.com survey.

But the data showed something else, too: Most don’t understand how much senior care actually costs. Annual costs range from $50,000 to $70,000 — which only 16% of Gen Z respondents answered correctly. For example, costs for home health care services average around $5,148 per month.

And, with rising healthcare and housing costs — along with Medicaid cuts — caregiving will keep getting more expensive. And this can feel overwhelming for students and young adults who are just starting out in life.

Many adults and their children “are not on the same page” when it comes to caregiving needs. Caring.com found that fewer than 40% of Gen X and baby boomers have discussed future care needs with their children and only 10.5% have a plan in place for caregiving and/or financial support.

Considering that 70% of Americans aged 65+ will require long-term services or support during their lifetime, this is an important conversation to have.

After talking to your family members, Caring.com recommends assessing your finances to see how aggressively you might need to save. Also look into federal, state and local resources that might be able to help.