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Across today’s workforce, a growing number of employees find themselves sandwiched between two sets of caregiving responsibilities: raising children while also supporting aging parents. Known as the "sandwich generation," these caregivers are managing school drop-offs and sports schedules while coordinating medical appointments, medication routines, and housing and care transitions for older loved ones.
But the picture is more complex than calendars and carpools: this expanding generation of caregivers are parenting teenagers in a world shaped by social media and mental health crises, supporting small children whose earliest years were shaped by pandemic isolation, and navigating diagnoses of ADHD, autism, anxiety, or learning differences—all while making care decisions for aging parents who may be facing dementia, mobility challenges, loneliness, or end-of-life planning, often alongside chronic conditions like diabetes, stroke recovery, heart disease, or cancer.
And in the midst of it all, their own health and well-being are too often the first to be deprioritized.
For many families, having the right support—whether for mental health, care coordination, or both—can be transformational. Sarah, a working parent and caregiver at Hearst, shared how having access to solutions that support caregiving and mental health helped lighten the invisible load she was carrying:
These solutions “have been instrumental in putting my mind at ease when it comes to my family’s health and wellness,” Sarah says. “Before, I was spending countless hours on the phone with specialists, doctors, insurance companies, and pharmacies. Now, I can focus on my family and my job, knowing I have a team behind me who has it covered.”
Stories like Sarah’s are a powerful reminder that caregiving and mental health are deeply intertwined—and that when families have the right support, everything changes.
That’s why Spring Health and Wellthy are teaming up: to provide comprehensive, compassionate solutions that meet employees where they are, whether they’re coordinating care for a loved one, managing their own mental health, or both. Together, Spring Health and Wellthy are aligning efforts to ensure that employees navigating caregiving and mental health challenges can more easily access the right support—whether through care coordination or clinical resources. By sharing insights and referring families to one another’s services, we’re helping to close the gap between logistical and emotional support in the workplace.
"The pressure facing Sandwich Generation employees isn’t just about time, it’s about the emotional strain of constantly giving more than they can carry," said Karishma Patel Buford, Chief People Officer at Spring Health. "We believe mental health support and caregiving support are strongest when delivered together. By partnering with Wellthy, we’re helping bridge that gap—so employees don’t have to choose between being a great parent, a devoted child, or a healthy individual. They deserve integrated, long-term solutions that truly meet them where they are."
The need for integrated caregiving and mental health solutions is urgent. According to Pew Research, nearly 25% of adults in the U.S. are part of the sandwich generation, and many face significant financial and emotional strain. And the toll on mental health is significant: a 2023 report from Guardian found that nearly half of caregivers have experienced increased anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues in the past year—62% more than non-caregivers. Only 23% of working caregivers say they have “good” mental health, and 40% report that their caregiving responsibilities negatively impact their stress levels.
For employers, these stats reflect not only a caregiving crisis, but a workforce well-being crisis—one that demands better, more connected support.
“In our work alongside so many employees and their families, we see the strain that Sandwich Generation caregivers are under every day—and we also see their strength,” says Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, CEO and co-founder of Wellthy. “Partnering with Spring Health allows us to bring even more comprehensive support to these families, addressing both the logistical challenges of caregiving and the emotional toll it can take. Together, we’re making it easier for employees to show up for their loved ones—and themselves.”
In the months ahead, Spring Health and Wellthy will continue to partner on shared webinars, educational resources, and conversations with employers—working together to elevate awareness around the needs of caregivers and the solutions available to support them.
For more information on Spring Health, visit: www.springhealth.com.
To learn more about how Wellthy can support your workforce, request a demo here.
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