Market reference guide: This article covers materials from both Korea and the U.S. Each piece of information is marked with 🇰🇷 Korea or 🇺🇸 U.S. in the text to show which country it applies to.
When you spend your days by your parents' side, a thought eventually creeps in: "Am I okay?" If you've been too busy caring to look back at your own health, the numbers in this article will speak to you—unfamiliar perhaps, but honestly. Caregiver health is directly tied to the quality of care. Let's first confirm with numbers the simple truth: when I'm healthy, I can care for my parents better.
🇰🇷 Korea According to the 2023 Ministry of Health and Welfare Elderly Living Conditions Survey, 86% of people aged 65 and older have one or more chronic illnesses, with an average of 2.2 chronic conditions per person. This means many elderly people need care, and it also means the burden on their families is significant. 🇰🇷 Korea As of 2024, there are 2.2 million single-person elderly households aged 65 and older, making up 22% of the total elderly population, and this percentage has been rising steadily each year since 2020. As the number of parents living alone grows, so does the psychological and physical burden on families providing care from a distance.
🇺🇸 U.S. According to the 2025 joint report "Caregiving in the U.S. 2025" by the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and AARP, 24% of American adults are currently caring for family members or acquaintances, 64% of caregivers report high emotional stress, and 45% report high physical burden. 🇺🇸 U.S. The same report shows that 70% of caregivers under age 65 work while caregiving, and half of them report that caregiving interferes with their work. These numbers show how tight the balance is when juggling both work and care.
🇺🇸 U.S. Deteriorating caregiver health also leads to economic loss. A 2024 joint study by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Otsuka America Pharmaceutical estimated that health decline from caregiving results in approximately 2.83 billion dollars in increased medical costs annually. 🇺🇸 U.S. Additionally, American family caregivers' average annual out-of-pocket caregiving costs are approximately 7,200 dollars, and caregivers who begin caregiving at a younger age face the risk of their retirement savings shrinking by up to 90%. The reality of mortgaging your own retirement to care for your parents is no light matter.
🇰🇷 Korea According to research by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs on families receiving in-home benefits under the Long-Term Care Insurance for the Elderly, the burden on family caregivers of elderly people manifests in complex ways across physical, emotional, and economic dimensions. In particular, whether the caregiver lives with the care recipient and the number of household members who can share the burden were identified as important factors in easing caregiving burden. This is why the weight feels especially heavy if you're managing everything alone. 🇺🇸 U.S. Indeed, one American survey found that approximately half of caregivers receive no outside help at all—no counseling, support groups, respite care, or financial assistance.
So what can you start with right now? Experts point to "respite care" as a key support measure. 🇺🇸 U.S. In the U.S., under the Lifespan Respite Care Program established in 2006, short-term rest services are provided to family caregivers in various forms, including home visits, adult day care, and short-term facility stays. 🇰🇷 Korea In Korea, you can also use in-home services and short-term care benefits within the Long-Term Care Insurance system, and you can confirm eligibility on the National Health Insurance Service Long-Term Care Insurance website (longtermcare.or.kr). Simply understanding the system first can give you room to breathe.
Sources: Ministry of Health and Welfare 2023 Elderly Living Conditions Survey (Public Data Portal), Korean Mental Health Data Portal "Ultra-Aged Society and Caregiving Issues" Report (2024), Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs "Research on the Typology of Family Caregiver Burden" Health and Social Research (2024), NAC·AARP Caregiving in the U.S. 2025 (CAPC news release and Caregiver Action Network citation), Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health·Otsuka America Pharmaceutical "America's Unseen Workforce" (2024), SeniorLiving.org Family Caregiver Annual Report and Statistics (2024), Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs "Support Systems for American Family and Informal Care Providers" Health and Social Forum (2020), National Health Insurance Service Long-Term Care Insurance for the Elderly (longtermcare.or.kr).
Note: This article was compiled by AI from the sources cited above. We strive for accuracy, but for decisions about your specific situation, please confirm the latest guidance from a professional or the relevant agency.