Caregiving and Retirement: Social Security and the Financial Strain of Eldercare.

Unpaid caregivers provide essential support for older family members in the United States, often at significant personal and financial cost. With no universal infrastructure for long-term care, caregivers may turn to programs like Social Security for relief. Our mixed-methods study uses Health and Retirement Study data and in-depth interviews to explore how caregivers manage retirement and care responsibilities. Early findings point to a complicated picture, as caregivers piece together support from multiple sources. The United States needs federal investment in long-term care and caregiver supports to address this systemic issue.