Gen Z Family Member-Turned-Caregivers Juggle Commitments

By Ethnic Media Services l April 24, 2024

Within the Gen Z community — particularly for South Asians — caregiving for family members becomes ever more crucial as they age, leaving many to juggle this major responsibility with their personal and professional lives.

In this Siliconeer feature by Vansh Gupta, a Gen Z working professional shares his experience of being a personal caregiver for his healthy 70-year-old maternal grandmother, and reflects on his experience as a teenager caregiving for his paternal grandmother. Alongside this conversation, a Gen-Z in-home care provider reflects on being a caregiver professionally.

Many members of Gen Z living in multigenerational households — particularly in South Asian communities — take on substantial caregiving responsibilities as they live with aging parents and grandparents, writes Gupta, leaving questions for these young adults as to what health and work issues of their own take a backseat, and what will happen when they themselves are in need of care one day.

“For many of us in our twenties, we are just starting our careers,” he continues. “Our health and “minor” issues take a backbench. We overwork ourselves so that we have some stability as we age. We are considered to be in our best mental and physical shape, making us an expendable resource to our family and friends.”  

Nevertheless, Gupta writes, “Our aging loved ones need or will need our support and care, and we must ensure that they age with grace and dignity.”

California is on the front lines of supporting this through CalGROWS.

This state program allows home health workers — the backbone of California health care, and increasingly comprised of Gen Z adults, writes Gupta — to earn up to $6,000 for learning and using new skills. However, time is running out for caregivers to sign up, as the program ends in August.

California caregivers interested in professional training and pay can sign up for the program online at calgrows.org, by phone at (888) 991-7234 or by email at help@calgrows.org.