Who takes care of black caregivers?

According to the Guide to the Blacks Community of the Senior Alliance, 66% of black caregivers are women, offering an average of 31.2 hours of care per week. It is almost nine hours more than the national average. Due to their intense work, they are faced with higher rates of professional exhaustion, access limited access to support and systemic obstacles to care.

To explore the cultural and structural forces behind this crisis, we spoke with Dr. Latoya Lewis, professor of nursing nursing recognized at the national level and strategist in health actions.

Why black people carry the heaviest care

Although wider analyzes of the provision of black care include many experiences, black women often carry the heaviest load.

Dr. Lewis describes how stigma even surrounds the basic expressions of needs. “There is a taboo surrounding the need for support to raise a family and manage multiple responsibilities,” she said.

“We expect black women to do everything and are everything for everyone, but no one explains the way they have to be treated in return or allowed to rest.”

If being tired is unacceptable, professional exhaustion is inevitable

In these environments, being tired or needing help becomes unacceptable. This contributes to silence around mental health challenges, reduces help search behaviors and erodes safe spaces so that caregivers argue for their well-being.

In addition to the personal impact, the professional exhaustion of caregivers is also a problem of systemic equity. “Primary prevention activities, such as well-being examinations, monitoring or management of underlying diseases, are often overlooked because most of their efforts are turning to the care of dear beings,” said Dr. Lewis.

Caregivers sacrifice their health

According to AARP care in the United States 2025 report, nearly 1 in 4 caregivers find it difficult to take care of their health due to care responsibilities. Black caregivers are also more likely to give up paid employment to take care of loved ones, citing a lack of affordable and quality care options.

Among caregivers under the age of 50, 36% of black caregivers are part of the “sandwich generation”, simultaneously careful with aging children and adults.

Fragmented health care, limited access to culturally competent mental health providers and a lack of training for family caregivers deepen this fracture. “Black and brown communities are more at risk due to economic divisions and systemic barriers in health care and mental health support,” she added.

Count the emotional and psychological costs of the service of care

Dr. Lewis confirms what data also shows: black women disproportionately occupy intense care roles with fewer support. “This is aligned with my experience of interaction with caregivers involved in end-of-life care and palliative care,” she noted.

“These people manage the tasks of care, work and waiting to operate at a high level,” said Dr. Lewis. “This can lead to a” mask “carrying the work when they put a very efficient act, continue to meet the objectives and neglect their needs.”

Behind professional success, many manage anxiety and high -level depression with little rest or reprieve.

The 2025 report revealed that 64% of caregivers report high emotional stress and 45% report strong physical tension, black women are disproportionately affected.

Organizations need leaders with emotional insight

Supporting caregivers requires organizational leadership that favors care, not just production. “The leadership that honors emotional well-being, cultural wisdom and care-focused values requires emotional intelligence, cultural reactivity and cultural sensitivity,” said Dr. Lewis.

It pleads for leaders who initiate checks, anticipate needs and recognize when cultural standards can discourage vulnerability. “Being proactive, not just reactive, allows staff to know that you care about their holistic well-being,” she said. “Employees who feel supported by managers focused on general well-being will take better care of themselves and understand that they are valued beyond the number.”

The organization must create safe spaces to discuss these questions

The leadership of Dr Lewis reflects this philosophy in the parameters. Whether in the USI or in class, it centers mentoring, emotional security and the elevation of the community. “What redefined my understanding of leadership is to realize that my role has extended far beyond the management of operations and deliverables to patient care,” she shared.

Now she supports future nurses and doctoral students not only with academic advice, but personal care. “Students who are not in my class have often contributed me to career advice or advice,” she said.

“I strive to create an environment without judgment and stimulating which focuses on what is most important for them, by helping them in their trip.”

Provide the caregivers with tangible support

As requests for care intensifies, defenders call for targeted political solutions. These include federal tax credits, enlarged paid leave and respite services that reflect real time and emotional toll of care. According to the 2025 report, 69% of caregivers support tax credits and 55% support paid holiday programs.

Dr. Lewis thinks that recognition is the first step. “We have to stop treating care as a personal problem to solve and start to see it as a public responsibility.”

Resources

Final in the black community

The care crisis in America continues to grow