Why More Millennials in Longmont, CO and Surrounding Areas Are Becoming Senior Caregivers

Visiting Angels explains the challenges that millennials in Longmont, Boulder, Louisville and surrounding areas in Boulder County, CO face when becoming senior caregivers for elderly loved ones

As baby boomers age, many millennials, ages 25 to 40, have been thrust into the essential role of becoming a family caregiver for an elderly loved one. Ten million millennials are the primary support for aging loved ones in the U.S. Approximately one in four family caregivers is a millennial, according to a 2018 American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) report.

Recently, COVID-19 made many millennials in Boulder County realize that their elderly loved ones needed assistance. Consequently, they assumed the role of caregiver. However, taking on the role as family caregiver can present numerous challenges, especially for millennials who may not be as financially stable as family members from previous generations and may have to juggle caregiving responsibilities with their professional and personal lives. That’s why at Visiting Angels of Boulder County, our senior caregivers can support millennial family caregivers with professional in-home care services.

What Challenges Do Millennial Caregivers Face?

Caring for a loved one is universally difficult, but millennials encounter some unique issues:

• Stalled careers and delayed education
  Millennials are less likely than family caregivers from older generations to be advanced in their careers, having less flexibility such as personal time off or paid family leave. This lack of seniority can leave many young caregivers feeling anxious or hesitant about discussing their need for a flexible schedule with their employer. Some may feel the pressure to delay a job promotion or discontinue taking classes toward their degree.
• Financial challenges
  Although approximately 53 percent of millennial caregivers work full-time, one in three employed millennial family caregivers earns less than $30,000 per year. Also, a significant portion of their income, 27 percent, goes into caregiving expenses, far more than any previous generation of caregivers, according to Millennials: The Emerging Generation of Family Caregivers.
• Strained emotions
  While caregiving can be emotionally rewarding, it can also cause emotional turmoil. Most millennial caregivers experience significant stress and admit that caring for an elderly loved one has compromised their personal lives.

How Senior Caregivers from Visiting Angels of Boulder County Provide an Essential Resource for Millennial Family Caregivers

Family caregiver support networks in Boulder County are beginning to focus on millennial caregivers. Visiting Angels of Boulder County helps relieve the burden that millennials tend to face and enables them to focus more on their careers, education and personal lives without neglecting their elderly loved ones.

Our senior caregivers can provide these professional home care services:

• Personal Care: We assist seniors with meal planning and preparation, light housekeeping, errands and transportation to appointments, mobility assistance, medication reminders and personal hygiene.
• Companion Care: We can fulfill your loved one's needs for social interaction and emotional support.
• Social Care: We help seniors utilize modern technologies like email, search engines and video chat programs to stay in touch with friends and family.
• Dementia Care: We provide in-home care for seniors living with dementia caused by Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, assisting with fall prevention, wandering prevention, and sundown syndrome.
• Stroke Recovery Care: We can aid in recovery with personal hygiene, mobility, toileting, incontinence care, and transferring and positioning.
• Ready-Set-Go Home: We reduce the likelihood of hospital readmission by creating a transition plan to continue recovery at home.
• Respite Care: We, as senior caregivers, offer interim care to allow family caregivers a well-deserved break to relax and recharge.

If you’d like to learn how our senior caregivers can help your loved one and give you peace of mind, call our Longmont, CO office at 303-848-2331.