New LegalShield Research: More Than Half of Sandwich Generation Workers Are Managing a Parent's Care While on the Job

New data also finds that while 87% of HR leaders say caregiving affects their workforce, fewer than 4 in 10 feel confident their benefits address it

ADA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Since 2022, elder care-related requests for legal assistance to LegalShield provider firms have more than doubled, up 108%, making it the number one area of law across the network. The people filing those requests are not in their 70s. They are working adults in their 40s and 50s, calling about their parents. Two new LegalShield surveys put hard numbers to what this generation is carrying and how it is showing up in the workplace.

More than half of working adults between 40 and 60 years old are actively coordinating a parent’s care right now. Most are doing it while holding down a job, absorbing the financial cost themselves, and navigating legal decisions they did not know were coming. Nearly half of LegalShield’s elder care callers are Millennials and Gen X members asking about powers of attorney, healthcare directives, conservatorships, wills, and estate planning. Often for the first time, often in the middle of a crisis. The research suggests that for many families, the gap between caring for a parent and having the legal authority to help them does not become visible until it is already too late.

The Weight of Caregiving

A survey of more than 1,100 working Sandwich Generation adults found that caregiving touches nearly every part of their lives. Most are in the active phase, coordinating a parent's care, paperwork, and medical decisions. Nearly two-thirds spend six or more work hours a month on caregiving tasks during the workday. More than half say the emotional toll is the hardest part, ahead of financial cost, which is also significant.

• More than half spent $5,000 or more of their own money on a parent's care in the past year
• To cover it, nearly 40% cut their own savings or retirement contributions, more than a third took on credit card debt, and more than a quarter drew from retirement accounts

The career impact follows:

• Nearly 1 in 4 has seriously considered leaving the workforce because of caregiving
• More than 20% turned down a promotion, and nearly 1 in 5 reduced their hours

Much of this stays hidden at work. Half of Sandwich Generation employees say they only raise caregiving with their employer when they have to, or keep quiet out of concern for how it will affect their career. The silence has consequences on both sides: 72% of Sandwich Generation workers say a senior care advisor through their employer would affect their decision to stay.

Rebecca Carter knows this firsthand, as a LegalShield provider attorney and a member of the Sandwich Generation herself. "People come to me when situations are already complicated, when a parent has been diagnosed with a severe illness, when no one has a power of attorney in place, when the family is trying to make decisions and has no legal authority to do so," she said. "Most of them are working full time. Most of them had no idea this was coming. And almost none of them had anywhere to turn until it was already a crisis."

What HR Leaders Are Seeing

A companion survey of more than 1,000 HR executives found broad recognition of the issue. More than 86% say employee caregiving has a major or some impact on absenteeism and productivity, and 77% say it affects retention and engagement. Nearly three quarters estimate at least 1 in 5 of their workforce is managing elder care.

Awareness of the impact, however, has not fully translated into benefits that address it:

• Only 37% feel confident their current benefits meet elder care needs
• Current voluntary benefits cover employees' parents only 37% of the time, and parents-in-law only 24%
• In 17% of organizations, parent coverage has been explicitly requested by employees but is not currently offered

"I have been handling HR issues for decades and I have never seen a workforce issue that is this personal, this expensive, and this invisible at the same time," said Bill Thrush, a LegalShield provider attorney at Friedman, Framme & Thrush, P.A., whose firm also serves as its own de facto HR resource for staff navigating elder care. "Employees are not asking for much. They are asking for someone to help them figure out what to do next. That is a reasonable ask, and most employers just do not have an answer for it yet."

LegalShield recently announced a partnership with Care.com's CareBenefits to bring their Senior Care Advisor program to members as part of the 2027 National Enhanced Plan, giving employees access to a dedicated Masters-level social worker alongside a LegalShield attorney for the legal questions that arise along the way. The legal component matters: powers of attorney, healthcare directives, nursing home contracts, and estate planning questions come up throughout the caregiving journey, often at the worst possible moment.

"These surveys reflect what our members have been telling us for years," said Emily Rose, President of Business Solutions at LegalShield. "The need is real on both sides. Our goal is to give employers and employees the legal and care resources they need before things reach a breaking point."

About LegalShield

For more than 50 years, LegalShield has provided everyday Americans with easy and affordable access to legal advice, counsel, protection, and representation. Serving millions, LegalShield is one of the world's largest platforms for legal, identity, and reputation management services protecting individuals and businesses across North America. Founded in 1972, LegalShield and its privacy management product IDShield equip individuals, families, businesses, and employers with the tools they need to affordably live a just and secure life. Through technology and innovation, LegalShield is transforming how people access legal guidance, with hundreds of qualified attorneys and law firms across the country. To learn more, visit LegalShield.com and IDShield.com.