Caregiving Through the Holidays

If you care for a parent, a spouse, or a child with a disability, the holidays land on you. The cooking, the hosting, and the care do not stop. About 53 million adults in the US are caregivers, and nearly 1 in 4 say it has hurt their own health. This page is about getting through December without breaking, and finding people who get it.

This page is for

Family caregivers: aging parents, a spouse with an illness, a child with special needs.

Relatives who want to help instead of adding to the load.

Safety first

Thoughts of harming yourself or the person you care for? Call or text 988 now. Caregivers get there more often than people think.

What helps

Shrink the holiday. One meal, not three. Paper plates. Store-bought pie. Nobody will remember the pie. They will remember you were calm.

Hold the family meeting. While the siblings are in town, sit down for 30 minutes. What you do each week. What you need. Who takes what next year.

Book respite now. A few hours of paid or volunteer care so you can go to one thing alone. Respite fills up in December. Call today.

What to expect

1Noise and change are hard for someone with dementia. A quiet room, a short visit, and the same routine help more than a big party.

2Relatives may not see what you see. A parent can rally for a two-hour visit. Tell them what a Tuesday looks like.

3Guilt shows up when you rest. It is a feeling, not a verdict. Rest anyway.

What the research says, in plain words.

A national survey found 53 million US adults are family caregivers. 23% said caregiving made their own health worse, up from 17% five years earlier.¹

A review of 30 studies looked at support groups for dementia caregivers. The groups eased depression and burden and improved wellbeing and social support.²

A review of 78 caregiver programs found support groups and skills training both helped. Programs that ran longer helped more.³

Finding a group this season

Caregiver groups often meet through the holidays because the holidays are when caregivers need them. Ask.

Online or phone groups fit a caregiver's day. Many meet during nap time or after bedtime. No ride, no sitter.

Bring a sibling once. Hearing other caregivers describe the week does more than you explaining it.

Questions to ask a group before you go

1Is it for all caregivers, or one condition, like dementia or cancer?

2Does the group meet during the holidays, or take a break?

3Is it online or by phone, so I can join from home?

Ready to find a group?

Scan to see groups on this topic, or browse 2,000+ therapy, support, and community groups in all 50 states.

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In crisis? Call or text 988 (US Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 24/7).

The Group Guide is a directory, not a clinic. This handout is general education, not medical or mental health advice. Listings are written by group leaders and are not endorsements. Confirm details, cost, and fit with any group you contact. Sources on page 2.

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Sources

Caregiving Through the Holidays · references keyed to the numbers on page 1.

1AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving. Caregiving in the United States 2020. AARP Research (2020).

2Chien, L. Y., Chu, H., Guo, J. L., Liao, Y. M., Chang, L. I., Chen, C. H., & Chou, K. R. Caregiver support groups in patients with dementia: a meta-analysis. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (2011), 26(10), 1089–1098.

3Sörensen, S., Pinquart, M., & Duberstein, P. How effective are interventions with caregivers? An updated meta-analysis. The Gerontologist (2002), 42(3), 356–372.

In crisis? Call or text 988 (US Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 24/7).