Adrienne Marioles: Millennial caregivers carry more than we talk about

Close-up of old and young holding hands. Middle-aged mommy's wrinkled hands holding young daughters, a millennial woman supporting mature mum, showing care, and love. Support for the elderly concept.

In 2015, I uprooted my life in New York City and moved back to Florida to become my mother’s caregiver. I was 29 years old.

Like many Millennials, I was focused on building my career and my future — but suddenly, everything changed. My life was put on hold while I navigated doctor’s appointments, medication schedules, insurance battles, and the emotional rollercoaster of caring for a parent with a degenerative neurological disease with no cure.

My mom passed away in 2020, but I still remember the difference that hospice made in her final two weeks. Looking back, I wish I had turned to hospice earlier. I wish I had known then what I know now — that hospice isn’t just for the last hours or days of life, and it’s not just for the patient. It’s for caregivers like me, too.

This Mental Health Awareness Month, I’m speaking up because there are countless caregivers in Florida and across the country, especially younger ones, who feel overwhelmed, under-supported, and invisible.

Millennials are now the fastest-growing group of family caregivers in the United States, often caring for aging parents or grandparents while also balancing careers, relationships, and raising children.

Many Millennials are part of the “sandwich generation,” squeezed between two caregiving roles while also trying to hold onto their own lives and mental health.

The emotional weight of caregiving doesn’t follow a schedule. It’s the late-night emergencies. The quiet moments of fear and guilt. The constant pressure of trying to be everything to everyone. And far too often, caregivers like me feel isolated and unseen — not just by our peers, but by the very systems meant to support us.

That’s why mental health support isn’t a luxury for caregivers — it’s essential. And that’s why I’m so grateful for hospice providers, like Gentiva, who recognize that caregivers need just as much support as the patients they love. Gentiva serves thousands of families across Florida, offering 24/7 nurse access, grief counseling, and caregiver resources that make all the difference during an otherwise overwhelming time. They understand that peace of mind comes not just from caring for the patient, but from surrounding the entire family with support, compassion, and practical help.

When my mom finally entered hospice care, I realized I didn’t have to do it all alone. For the first time in years, I felt like someone was also looking out for me as a caregiver — not just her as a patient. That changed everything.

This Mental Health Awareness Month, I hope we talk more openly about the emotional toll caregiving takes — especially on younger generations who are stepping into this role earlier and more often than ever before.

We need more providers, policies, and communities that recognize the caregiver’s journey as complex, exhausting, and deeply human.

Caring for someone at the end of life is one of the most selfless things you can do. But caregivers need care, too. Let’s make sure they get it.

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Adrienne Marioles is the founder and host of the Young Life Interrupted podcast.