Coronavirus’ Impact on Gen X Family Caregivers Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.

Coronavirus Impact on Gen X Caregivers

They re being squeezed between the needs of their children and aging parents

svetikd/Getty Images For the past year, Jessica Johnson has been juggling caregiving responsibilities for her 12-year-old daughter, who suffers from mental illness, and her in-laws, who have . Like many Gen Xers, this 45-year-old stay-at-home mother already felt squeezed by the competing needs of growing children and aging parents. Then the coronavirus pandemic plunged the country into virtual lockdown. Now Johnson is sheltering at home in New Jersey with her husband and two daughters, and trying to figure out how to care for her in-laws in Texas; her mother-in-law is recovering from back surgery, and her father-in-law struggles to treat his diabetes and heart disease. “We're trying to hold it together,” she says. “But it's really frightening." Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. While Americans scramble to stay safe and make sense of an uncertain landscape, Johnson and others like her find themselves in a challenging position, squeezed with . Gen Xers — Americans born between 1965 and 1980 — are already more likely to be caregivers than those who belong to other generations. The average caregiver of an older adult is a 49-year-old working woman who provides 20 hours of unpaid work each week in caring for her mother, according to the Family Caregiver Alliance. With the average age of motherhood rising, women in their late 40s and early 50s are more likely to have children still at home. Add coronavirus to the mix, and the . "It's the perfect storm,” says Ada Calhoun, author of Why We Can't Sleep: Women's New Midlife Crisis. “We are taking care of kids who are homeschooling while we're working, if we can, and while our parents are in the crosshairs of this disease.”

We re worried about everybody

Johnson's 12-year-old has been hospitalized three times in the past year and is exceptionally sensitive to the stresses of the pandemic. Her therapy sessions have , and other interventions have been suspended because of the shutdowns of nonessential services. At the same time, Johnson has had to coordinate health care for her in-laws from afar, a job she or her husband normally would have done by flying to Texas to help. . Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > Caregivers experience high levels of depression and anxiety and are more likely to have chronic illnesses than others, according to the Family Caregiver Alliance. But there are advantages, too. Taking care of a loved one can provide a sense of purpose and well-being, and the relationships are often symbiotic. For example, a grandparent may need help managing health care but in turn provides child care support for working parents. But that support may now vanish, as older Americans are concerned about the health risks associated with interacting with their grandchildren in person. In some cases, an aging parent may need extra care from family as nurses and paid aides are not able to make in-home visits.

A new cohort of caregivers

"COVID-19 is creating a new cohort of people who are identifying themselves as caregivers for the first time because it's creating a need that hadn't been there,” says Ann Steffen, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis who specializes in older adults and behavioral medicine. “Role changes, especially when they happen very suddenly, take people by surprise.” AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe because of the coronavirus. “It's nice having my oldest home,” Terry says. “Partially because I miss her, and partially because it's kind of like having another adult in the house.” MORE FROM AARP AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS