A new study by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, supported by Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, reveals that family caregiving in the U.S. would surpass the revenues of top global companies if it were a business entity. With 44.58 million caregivers contributing labor worth approximately $873.5 billion annually—3.2% of the U.S. GDP—this workforce surpasses Apple, Amazon, and Walmart in economic value. Care for Alzheimer’s or dementia accounts for nearly 40% of this valuation at $346.6 billion, despite only involving 25.7% of caregivers. The report, “America’s Unseen Workforce: What Will it Take to Change the Future of Family Caregiving?” highlights the substantial healthcare costs and retirement savings deficits faced by caregivers, underscoring the economic impact and financial vulnerability of this essential, often overlooked workforce.

Did you know that one quarter of all family caregivers under the age of 30? We have teenagers taking care of parents. Young adults caring for disabled siblings or maybe grandparents. There are many other relationships that turn this traditional parent/child dynamic upside down today leading to enormous levels of stress, exhaustion, and financial pain in today’s family caregivers. In fact, our national birthrate is declining fast. Families are smaller, less children than 50 years ago. Now an average family has less than two children. For many families that means that males and females both share in the caregiving journey. 40% of today’s caregivers are male.

We can no longer call it women’s work, or a “honey do” list. It is all of us. We come into caregiving with different skills and life experiences. However, research in this area reveals that our inner voices about this role have some very common themes like those listed above. Your health and your future are equally as important as the person you are caring for. Reach out to your loved one’s doctor or insurance company to find more help when the going gets tough.

Family caregivers are silent army of helpers you know as work colleagues, neighbors, business owners, friends, and family members. November is the month to show them our appreciation. Here are the Credit for Caring social media posts filled with pearls of wisdom from customers and our team. Please feel free to share them on your social channels or within your organization. Show your appreciation for our selfless family caregivers. Share the love. #NFCM