Caregiver Wellbeing
Caregiver wellbeing refers to the physical, emotional, social, and economic support of both paid care workers and unpaid family caregivers. While care systems often focus on the needs of care recipients, the burnout, time poverty, financial strain, and emotional burden experienced by caregivers frequently remain invisible. Yet the sustainability of care depends on caregivers having access to rest, income security, psychosocial support, community networks, and public services. When caregivers are unsupported, care systems become increasingly fragile and care responsibilities are concentrated unequally within households, particularly among women.
CURRENT STATISTICS
606
An estimated 606 million women worldwide are unable to participate in the labor force because of unpaid care responsibilities.
67%
Women make up approximately 67% of the global health and care workforce.
80%
Approximately 80% of long-term care is provided by family members rather than formal care services.
CURRENT CARE POLICIES
Care Policy Recommendations Tool
At İhtimam, we curate emerging care policy recommendations and translate them into practical guidance for different stakeholders. Select a stakeholder group and thematic area to explore relevant policy recommendations, strategies, and actions from Türkiye and around the world.
THE FUTURE OF CARE
Care Radar
The Care Radar tracks emerging developments, weak signals, and evolving conversations across the care landscape. It is designed to help us understand how care is changing and to explore these shifts through an ethical and systems-oriented lens.
Caregiver Burnout Enters the Policy Agenda
Growing evidence highlights the physical, emotional, and psychological toll of long-term caregiving. Caregiver wellbeing is increasingly being discussed as a systems design challenge rather than a matter of individual resilience.
The Deepening of Caregiver Poverty
Long-term caregivers are facing rising levels of debt, energy poverty, and income loss. The economic consequences of unpaid care work are becoming more visible within households and policy debates.
The Central Role of Social Care Infrastructure
Access to affordable and reliable care services directly shapes caregivers’ health, employment, and financial security. Policy discussions are increasingly recognizing care infrastructure as essential to caregiver wellbeing.
The Growing Respite Care Gap
While caregivers’ need for rest and temporary relief is widely documented, the availability of affordable and accessible respite care services continues to lag behind demand.
The Challenge of Combining Work and Care
More people are reducing working hours or leaving employment altogether due to caregiving responsibilities. Labor markets and workplace policies are struggling to adapt to the realities of care.
Recognition of the Caregiver Identity
Many people do not identify themselves as caregivers and therefore access support only after significant strain has accumulated. Healthcare systems and employers are increasingly exploring caregiver identification as a policy tool.
The Visibility of Young Caregivers
Children and young people who provide care within their families are receiving growing attention from researchers and policymakers. As care gaps deepen, calls for early identification, educational support, and psychosocial services are increasing.
The Rise of Older Caregivers
A growing number of older adults provide care for spouses, relatives, or peers while managing their own health needs. This dual pressure is revealing the aging nature of care systems themselves.
Income Security for Unpaid Caregivers
Cash benefits, pension credits, and social protection mechanisms for unpaid caregivers are receiving greater policy attention. However, support remains fragmented and insufficient in many countries
The Visibility of Caregiver Loneliness
Research increasingly highlights high levels of social isolation among caregivers. The social narrowing effects of caregiving are becoming an important area of study and policy concern.
The Expansion of Psychosocial Support
Peer support groups, counseling services, caregiver helplines, and online communities are becoming more common. While these initiatives can provide meaningful emotional support, access and long-term sustainability remain uneven.
Digital Tools for Care Coordination
Applications for medication management, appointment scheduling, and care planning are designed to reduce caregiving burdens. At the same time, digitalization can create new administrative responsibilities and forms of invisible labor.
