This current pandemic has created an interesting dynamic for caregivers and their families. Children who are caregivers are now taking on some of the same anxieties associated with caregiving. They are worried about their parents, trying and taking on tasks to keep them at home, and in some cases, take on their caregiving tasks to keep them safe too.

There are an estimated 40 million American adults providing support with basic functional, household, and medical/nursing tasks to help individuals remain in their homes and communities for as long as possible. Of these 40 million family caregivers, about 1 in 4 are millennials.

The latest numbers reveal that millennial caregivers spend an average of 21 hours a week taking care of their loved one(s). More than half of Millennial family caregivers are African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, or Asian American/Pacific Islanders.

Dr. Charlene James-Piper is the Executive Director of Student Academic Support Services and First-Year Students at Texas Southern University. She also belongs to this growing group of young caregivers. She, like her mother, AARP Texas State President and podcast host Charlene Hunter James, knows the faces of traditional caregivers have changed.