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Many of us will become voluntary or involuntary caregivers during our retirement years.

Comprehensive retirement planning now needs to include probable caregiving responsibilities.

Caregiving commonly leads to financial challenges as well as physical and mental health complications.

One recognized challenge of retirement is that it often overlaps with other major life events, and there may be two, three, or four major changes occurring simultaneously. One of the most common is caregiving.

A 2025 report co-authored by AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving found that 55 percent of caregivers are aged 50 years and older (with 22 percent being aged 65 years and older). Regardless of this finding, few of us plan on becoming a caregiver for a loved one during our retirement years unless we already have this role.

Caregiving currently isn't part of traditional retirement planning, even though one's aspirations for this phase of life, such as travel and a far-less hectic schedule, can implode when the need arises. Indeed, our ideal of retirement may be placed on permanent hold; the above study found a significant number of caregivers were forced to delay retirement.

Let's begin with a comprehensive definition of caregiving articulated by Triantafillou et al. (2010), who note it consists of a close relationship with the care receiver, little to no professional training, no payment for services, a wide range of caregiving duties, no official hours (never really off duty), and little social recognition of this important role.

Who are we caring for? The most common persons requiring our assistance are parents, spouses, siblings, and, increasingly, friends (particularly those who are single and childless). Some of us will be caregivers multiple times, such as caring for aging parents during our middle-age years and then supporting a spouse or sibling in our retirement. We may even have to assist multiple care receivers simultaneously.

Research on the Stress Associated With Caregiving

Let's be clear that caring for a loved one can be a satisfying experience; it offers many emotional rewards and is a meaningful way of honoring past service the caregiver received from the person now needing care. Still, there is abundant research about the stress associated with caregiving, and several recurrent themes are noted.

First, there are financial implications. In their article “Who Is Taking Care of the Caregiver?” Sullivan and Miller (2015) conclude, "Often the needs caused by the chronic illness assume financial priority in a family.” According to the AARP report, one-third of caregivers stopped saving money, and 24 percent had used up short-term savings. Others reported taking on more........

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