Caregiving is an increasingly recognized role in modern society, with more people supporting loved ones, and clients in need of healthcare. Caregivers are crucial to their well-being, and, in addition, often find themselves balancing these duties with their personal and professional lives. Recognizing the importance of this role, our team recently conducted a survey to better understand the experiences and challenges faced by these individuals.
Digital tools are essential for caregivers, helping them manage tasks like booking appointments, medication tracking, and communicating with healthcare providers. While these tools are typically designed to assist those receiving care, caregivers often use them as well. The question is: Are these tools helping or adding to their frustrations?
In this blog, we explore six key insights gathered from the experiences of caregivers on their interactions with digital tools.
Defining Caregivers
We categorized the respondents into four age groups (18-29, 30-44, 45-60, and over 60). Nearly half of these caregivers have been in the role for one to five years. This indicates that while many are relatively new, they have already developed significant caregiving expertise.
Interestingly, over half of the respondents work full-time while also handling caregiving duties. Despite these demands, many manage to dedicate 5-20 hours a week to caregiving, showcasing their commitment and time management. This balance highlights the challenges of juggling work and providing care and the potential for digital tools to help. It also underscores the need for flexible workplace policies and supportive resources. These measures help caregivers manage both caregiving and work without excessive stress or burnout.
With that in mind, here are our key findings we obtained from our recent survey of caregivers across the US.
Six Key Insights About Digital Tools for Caregivers
Who Caregivers Are and How Their Roles Shift
1. Caregiving spans life stages and family structures.
The caregivers we surveyed primarily provide care to spouses, children, and parents. 31.4% care for spouses, with that percentage increasing among older respondents.
24.4% support parents or step-parents, reflecting the growing role of adult children caring for aging relatives.
Among caregivers aged 30–44, 27.5% care for children. As respondents age, their focus shifts toward spouses and parents. Many balance the needs of both young dependents and aging family members.
Digital tools must be accessible, adaptable, and user-friendly to support these varied caregiving realities.
How Caregivers Use Digital Tools — and Where Frustrations Emerge
2. Digital tools are widely used, but common tasks remain frustrating.
Caregivers rely on digital tools to arrange medical appointments (46%), order medications and supplies (43.7%), and communicate with providers (40.4%).
Despite high usage, frustrations persist — especially with provider communication (40.3%), finances and legal matters (35.8%), and appointment scheduling (29.2%).
Caregivers want practical improvements:
- Note-taking tools (42%)
- Medication reminders (42%)
- Calendar functionality (39%)
These enhancements would reduce friction and streamline daily responsibilities.
3. Training gaps limit effectiveness, especially for older caregivers.
Younger caregivers generally find digital tools more beneficial due to familiarity. Older caregivers often struggle without adequate support.
While 57.4% of caregivers aged 45–60 are highly satisfied with training, that drops to 30.3% among those over 60.
Accessible, user-friendly training programs are essential to ensure all caregivers can confidently manage care digitally.
Device Preferences and Usage Patterns
4. Mobile access is essential, but desktop still matters.
Smartphones are used daily by 48.2% of caregivers. Computers and laptops are used daily by 28.8%.
Digital tools must be optimized for mobile while maintaining strong desktop functionality.
5. Usage patterns vary significantly by age group.
Caregivers aged 45–60 are the most frequent digital users (47.2% daily). They rely on tools to manage appointments, medications, and provider communication.
Caregivers aged 30–44 use digital tools daily at a rate of 43.6%, often while caring for children and managing bills.
Those over 60 use tools less frequently, potentially due to lower familiarity. Younger caregivers (18–29) focus heavily on bills, communication, and health records.
Targeted support and education are needed across age groups.
Trust and Security Remain Critical
6. Security perceptions differ by age and income.
Caregivers aged 45–60 feel most secure (53.9%). Those aged 30–44 remain concerned about privacy and data breaches (23%).
Caregivers over 60 express caution, potentially due to lower trust in digital systems.
Income also influences perception. Those earning over $100k report higher confidence in security than those below that threshold.
Healthcare organizations must actively reinforce trust in digital platforms across demographics.
In Conclusion
Our research highlights the importance of digital caregiving tools and differences across age and income. Addressing the challenges faced by older and lower-income caregivers can make these tools more effective and inclusive. Prioritizing digital security, user-centered design, and enhanced training is essential to improving the caregiving experience. Refining digital tools to meet caregivers’ needs will enhance their experience and improve care outcomes.