Health · Mental Health · 1 day ago
Caregivers urged to make time for small acts of self-care
Nearly one in four adults in the United States—63 million people—provided care to someone with a medical condition or disability in 2025.
Most of this care was unpaid, and caregivers’ work has become longer and more intense.
Nearly two-thirds of caregivers said they felt high emotional stress.
Experts say small steps can help, such as asking someone to cover briefly, getting enough sleep, taking a short walk and staying connected with friends or support groups.
Setting boundaries and easing pressure to do everything perfectly can also be part of self-care.
Dartmouth College and its healthcare system have announced a Family Caregiver Institute to offer services, education, support and access to home health aides.
Experts are urging caregivers to make time for small acts of self-care to help prevent burnout.
Nearly one in four US adults, or 63 million people, provided care to adults or children with medical conditions or disabilities in 2025.
Nearly two-thirds of caregivers in a report described feeling high emotional stress.
Dartmouth College and its healthcare system recently announced an institute offering caregivers services, education, support and access to home health aides.
Suggestions include asking others to cover briefly, prioritizing sleep and movement, staying connected and setting boundaries.
- Who
- Family caregivers, with advice from caregiving experts.
- What
- Experts recommend small acts of self-care to help caregivers avoid burnout.
- When
- The article was published on October 11, 2026; it also cites caregiving figures for 2025.
- Where
- The United States, including New Hampshire.
- Why
- Caregiving can be demanding and emotionally stressful, and experts say caregivers need to care for themselves to support others.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
You can’t be a successful or good caregiver to somebody else if you’re not taking care of yourself.
And if it’s winter and you can’t get outside, I’ve been known to just pace around my house for 10 minutes just to get some movement in because I know I’ll feel better.
Self-care doesn’t have to be a day at the spa. It can be sitting for 10 minutes in your car when you get home and just kind of decompressing from the day before you go inside.
Caregiving’s hard, and I think sometimes moms especially can set the bar high and be in pursuit of perfection and not realize this is good enough.
Nearly one in four US adults, or 63 million people, provided care to adults or children with medical conditions or disabilities.
Dartmouth College and its associated healthcare system announced the creation of the Family Caregiver Institute.
- US caregivers in 2025
- 63 million adults, nearly one in four US adults
- Change over 10 years
- Number of caregivers rose by almost 50%
- Emotional stress
- Nearly two-thirds of caregivers described feeling high emotional stress
- New institute
- Family Caregiver Institute, announced by Dartmouth College and its associated healthcare system
Sources
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