Note on market coverage: This article draws on data from both Korea and the United States. Each piece of information is labeled 🇰🇷 Korea or 🇺🇸 U.S. in the text to indicate which country it applies to.
Staying by a parent's side quietly wears the body down. Steadying someone heavy, waking several times through the night to check on them, preparing meals and changing diapers—a caregiver's back, knees, and shoulders absorb every bit of that weight. The weariness of the heart can at least be put into words, but the body's signals are easy to miss when you are too busy to notice. The reality, not at all rare among caregivers, is that one day they suddenly find themselves in a hospital bed.
🇺🇸 U.S. According to a report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2024, family caregivers fared worse than non-caregivers on 13 out of 19 health indicators. Obesity, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and arthritis were especially pronounced. 🇺🇸 U.S. The "Caregiving in the U.S. 2025" report published by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP found that 45% of caregivers experience a high physical burden, and 1 in 5 rates their own health as "fair or poor."
🇰🇷 Korea A study analyzing the 2022 Long-Term Care Survey (장기요양실태조사) of the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (한국보건사회연구원), published in 한국건강형평연구 (2024), found that family caregivers reported pain and discomfort in the shoulders, knees, and wrists—including ligament injuries and herniated discs—as their primary physical health concerns. 🇰🇷 Korea Data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (건강보험심사평가원) show that the share of patients visiting medical institutions for musculoskeletal disorders is as wide as one-third of the entire population, with female patients accounting for 1.3 times as many as male patients. This points to a structure in which the musculoskeletal burden falls disproportionately on middle-aged women caregivers, who bear the primary responsibility for caring for older adults.
The deeper problem is that chronic stress alters the immune system. 🇺🇸 U.S. Long-term research by the Kiecolt-Glaser team at Ohio State University found that family caregivers had levels of the inflammatory cytokine IL-6 up to 4 times higher than non-caregivers, and those elevated levels persisted for years even after caregiving ended. 🇺🇸 U.S. Chronically elevated IL-6 is known to be associated with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and certain cancers. Additionally, statistics from the Family Caregiver Alliance (가족 돌봄자 연합) show that caregivers have stress hormone levels averaging 23% higher than non-caregivers and antibody responses 15% lower, making them more vulnerable to infection.
🇺🇸 U.S. Chronic stress also directly affects the cardiovascular system. Caregivers show exaggerated cardiovascular responses under stress and face a higher risk of developing hypertension or heart disease than non-caregivers. Research also indicates that women caring for a spouse have a greater history of hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol. When the stress and depression of caregiving combine, they are thought to accelerate inflammatory responses and speed up aging-related physical damage—an effect researchers have termed "inflammaging," which is drawing growing attention.
So what can be done to protect the body? Small habits that reduce strain on the back and joints are a good place to start. When moving an older adult, bend your knees to lower your center of gravity, and make full use of assistive devices such as transfer belts and non-slip sheets. 🇰🇷 Korea The home benefit categories of the 국민건강보험공단 (National Health Insurance Service) long-term care insurance include visiting care and visiting bathing services, which help ensure that caregivers do not have to shoulder all physical care on their own. 🇺🇸 U.S. Home health aide services are available through Medicare (메디케어) Advantage plans or Medicaid (메디케이드), and beginning in 2024, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced policies to support training and compensation for family members who provide care directly. Not putting off your own regular check-ups, taking even 10 to 15 minutes a day to stretch, and not deferring pain signals with "I'll deal with that later"—these small decisions are what protect a caregiver's body.
Sources: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), MMWR August 2024, "Changes in Health Indicators Among Caregivers — United States, 2015–2016 to 2021–2022"; National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, "Caregiving in the U.S. 2025"; Family Caregiver Alliance (caregiver.org), "Caregiver Health"; Scientific American, "Dealing with stress-caused sickness in family caregivers" (February 2026); 한국보건사회연구원 and 한국건강형평연구 Vol. 2, No. 1 (2024), "코로나19 팬데믹 기간 지역사회 노인 가족돌봄자의 돌봄부담 및 건강수준 변화에 관한 연구"; 건강보험심사평가원 musculoskeletal disorder treatment status data (based on 2020); Ministry of Health and Welfare, 2023 Survey of the Elderly.
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.