Family caregivers have always spanned different cultures, ages and occupations, but today’s millennial caregivers, who range from 22- to 37-years-old, are the most racially and ethnically diverse generation yet, according to a 2018 AARP report. They also comprise a large segment — nearly 25 percent — of the caregiving population. “Many baby boomer parents had children later in life so there’s a bigger age gap between them when the parents get sick in their 60s,” explains Barry J. Jacobs, a clinical psychologist, health care consultant and coauthor of AARP Meditations for Caregivers. 

Given their ages and stages of life, millennial caregivers face some unique challenges. “They’re at an age where they’re developing careers, financial stability, social relationships and romantic relationships, and all of those things suffer to a degree because of their caregiving responsibilities,” Jacobs says.           

These profiles of millennial caregivers provide an inside look at how they care for their loved ones while trying to establish lives of their own. —Stacey Colino