By Jeff Rubin
Special to NKyTribune
November is National Family Caregivers Month, a time to recognize the millions of Americans who care for family members, friends, and neighbors. This year’s theme, “Care Connects Us,” is a fitting reminder of the relationships that sustain us through life's challenges.
But it also raises a question worth asking: Are we doing enough to support those who provide the
care?
Nearly ten years ago, I wrote an article for the Northern Kentucky Tribune about the challenges facing family caregivers. I discussed the emotional, physical, and financial demands placed on families, the lack of preparation many experience, and the difficulty of finding meaningful assistance.
Much has changed since then. Yet rereading that article today, I'm struck by how many of those
same concerns remain.
My interest in caregiving is more than professional.
A few years before writing that article, my family learned that my wife's father had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, a progressive neurological condition affecting thinking, movement, behavior, and daily functioning.
Like many families facing a serious diagnosis, we found ourselves searching for information, guidance, and support. One resource we turned to was the Alzheimer's Association, which offered educational materials, support groups, and professional assistance.
That experience reinforced something I had come to recognize through my work with older adults and communities: No matter how much we think we understand caregiving, it becomes a different matter when someone we love needs help.
Caregiving can begin gradually or arrive without warning. A diagnosis, accident, or sudden change in someone's ability to manage daily activities can transform family relationships almost overnight.
And while caregiving is often an expression of love, love alone cannot provide the resources, training, time, or financial security families may need.
Consider the numbers.
According to a 2025 report from AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving, more than 63 million American adults provide ongoing care for someone with an illness, disability, or age- related needs. That's a 45 percent increase since 2015.
Nearly 17 million are part of the so-called sandwich generation, caring for children and adults simultaneously.
An AARP study released in October 2026 found that family caregivers spend an average of $11,508 annually out of pocket, nearly 60 percent more than reported in 2021.
Imagine trying to maintain employment, raise children, save for retirement, and meet your own healthcare needs while assuming those additional responsibilities.
For many families, there's little need to imagine.
When I first wrote about caregiving in 2017, I pointed to Kentucky, where families often struggled to find affordable home-based services, transportation, respite care, and other assistance.
Those challenges remain relevant today, particularly in rural communities where services may be limited and transportation can become an obstacle to receiving care.
But Kentucky is hardly unique.
Across the United States and around the world, longer lives, changing family structures, and growing demands on healthcare systems are placing increasing pressure on families.
We celebrate longevity, encourage aging in place, and promote independence. Yet too often, the systems needed to make those goals achievable fall short.
There's a contradiction here worth examining.
If family caregivers are essential to the well-being of our communities and the functioning of our healthcare systems, why is supporting them so often treated as an individual responsibility rather than a shared obligation?
Other countries offer examples worth considering.
In Bogotá, Colombia, neighborhood-based Care Blocks provide services that give unpaid caregivers opportunities for education, employment preparation, personal well-being, and relief from daily responsibilities.
Scotland provides financial assistance to eligible unpaid caregivers, recognizing that caregiving carries economic consequences.
Japan has developed community-based approaches connecting older adults and families with healthcare providers, social services, and local organizations.
None of these approaches is perfect, nor can one country's model simply be transplanted into another. But they demonstrate something important: Supporting caregivers doesn't have to be left entirely to individual families.
And that brings us back to our own communities.
What would happen if we began treating family caregiving as a shared responsibility rather than a private family matter?
Employers could recognize caregiving as a workforce issue by offering flexible schedules and appropriate leave policies.
Healthcare organizations could better prepare family caregivers through education, training, and guidance while respecting the wishes and independence of those receiving care.
Communities could strengthen transportation, respite services, caregiver networks, and opportunities for social connection.
Policymakers could improve access to affordable long-term care, strengthen caregiver protections, and recognize the enormous economic contribution of unpaid caregiving.
And the rest of us? We could begin by reaching out to someone we know who provides care.
Offer a ride, prepare a meal, run an errand, or simply spend time listening.
Sometimes the smallest gesture can make a meaningful difference.
Caregiving, of course, isn't limited to older adults. Parents caring for children with disabilities,
spouses supporting partners with chronic illnesses, and younger people assisting family members
all deserve recognition and support.
Nor should we overlook those receiving care. Their dignity, independence, preferences, and right to participate in decisions affecting their lives must remain central to any discussion.
The longevity revolution is changing our world. More people are living longer, and many will remain healthy, independent, and actively engaged well into later life. Others, regardless of age, will need assistance along the way.
We shouldn't view this as a burden of longevity, but as a responsibility that comes with building
communities where people of every age can live with dignity and support.
National Family Caregivers Month gives us an opportunity to say thank you. But appreciation
without meaningful action accomplishes little.
Nearly a decade after first writing about caregiving, I find myself returning to the same
fundamental concern.
We know how much caregivers contribute. We know many are struggling. And we know stronger communities and better systems can make a difference.
The question is no longer whether family caregivers deserve our support. It's what each of
us, and the institutions we depend upon, are prepared to do about it.
Jeff Rubin is an internationally recognized speaker, author, and adviser on community and aging
issues. A longtime advocate for age-friendly and livable communities, he is the author of
Wisdom of Age: Perceptions and Insights from One Generation to Another. He lives in
Berea and can be reached through www.wisdomofage.net.