Employer Research

Working Caregivers and Dementia: The Hidden Cost to Employers, and What Actually Helps

By Kirstin Thomas

July 2026 · 13 min read

The short version

In Harvard Business School’s 2019 employee survey, nearly three-quarters reported caregiving responsibilities across care types. Dementia caregiving can include unpredictable calls during work, alongside practical, financial and emotional demands. Employers can consider flexibility and a combination of support; no single benefit addresses every family’s needs.

The caregiving workforce you cannot see

In Harvard Business School’s 2019 study The Caring Company, 73% of surveyed U.S. employees reported a current caregiving responsibility. This includes care types beyond aging parents or dementia. Employee and employer responses revealed different perceptions of caregiving’s effect on work; this historical survey is not a current dementia-specific prevalence estimate.

The Alzheimer’s Association’s 2026 Facts and Figures reports nearly 13 million unpaid U.S. caregivers of people living with Alzheimer’s or other dementias, approximately two-thirds of whom are women. These national caregiver figures do not establish the number of caregivers within a particular employer’s workforce.

What caregiving actually costs employers

In HBS’s 2019 survey, 32% of U.S. employees reported voluntarily leaving a job during their career because of caregiving across care types; this is not an annual turnover rate.
In the same 2019 survey, 36% of respondents earning $100,000 or more said caregiving harmed their careers. This historical, cross-condition finding does not establish replacement costs, current turnover risk or potential savings for a particular employer.

Caregiving can affect attendance and work performance. The Alzheimer’s Association reports that 57% of employed dementia caregivers went in late, left early or took time off because of caregiving—not 57% of all dementia caregivers. The 2026 USC Cost of Dementia study estimates $23 billion in lost wages and $237 billion in unpaid care nationally. These are modeled U.S. economic costs, not a company’s losses or potential savings from KindredMind.

Definitions

Caregiver benefit: An employer-provided support that helps employees manage caring for a family member while staying in their job.

Presenteeism: Being physically at work but unable to focus or perform because of an outside demand.

Absenteeism: Missing work time, such as going in late, leaving early, or taking days off, because of an outside responsibility.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP): A confidential employer program offering counseling and referrals for personal challenges that affect work.

Respite care: Short-term coverage that gives a family caregiver a temporary break from caregiving duties.

How dementia caregiving can affect a workday

Dementia caregiving can include unpredictable needs during the workday. Memory changes, distress, reassurance seeking, unmet needs and other circumstances may contribute to repeated calls and their effects on family routines. Broad behavioral-symptom prevalence estimates are not estimates of repetitive calling, and no single cause explains every call.

A parent’s repeated calls may be difficult to manage alongside meetings or other work responsibilities. Families may need to check immediate needs, review a sudden change with an appropriate professional, and combine personal contact with practical support. The extent of workplace disruption varies.

How caregiver benefits address different needs

Caregiver benefits can address different layers of support. Their scope varies by provider; they should be evaluated against the needs of employees and their families:

Different services meet different needs; availability varies by provider.
Primary function	What it may provide	What it does not replace
Care navigation	Human guidance, care coordination, service research and practical assistance; varies by provider.	All hands-on care or every family conversation.
Employee assistance programs	Counseling, advice, referrals and other support; varies by provider.	All care arrangements or ongoing family companionship.
Backup care	Temporary care when regular arrangements are unavailable, subject to eligibility and availability.	A complete long-term care plan.
Human in-home assistance	In-person company and practical help within the provider’s agreed scope.	Services outside the worker’s qualifications or contracted hours.
Conversational companionship	Human or AI-powered conversation, depending on the service. KindredMind provides AI-powered supported phone and tablet experiences.	Human caregiving, care navigation, clinical treatment or emergency response.
Scheduled reminders	Prompts for routines or appointments, through supported channels.	Confirmation that a task was completed, supervision or medication management.

These services can offer direct, practical help as well as information. Their availability, staffing and scope vary. Conversational companionship can be considered alongside them; it is not a substitute for navigation, counseling, backup care or human assistance.

Where conversational companionship may fit

A benefit’s relevance, accessibility, communication and workplace culture can affect whether employees use it. KindredMind has not established that its service produces greater utilization than other caregiver benefits. Ask employees what support they need without requiring unnecessary disclosure.

KindredMind offers AI-powered conversational companionship through supported phone and tablet experiences. MCI Voice and Dementia Voice both offer friendly voices using family-provided context. A caregiver-approved familiar-family voice is available only for supported inbound Dementia Voice calls, with relevant authorization. Availability depends on setup and service conditions; companionship is not continuous monitoring, emergency response or a promise of reassurance.

Employer value: distinguish research from product outcomes

External research establishes that caregiving can affect work. It does not demonstrate that KindredMind reduces absenteeism, presenteeism, healthcare costs or caregiver burden, improves productivity or retention, or provides a positive return on investment.

Assess the need. Understand employees’ different caregiving circumstances.
Compare functions. Evaluate services rather than assume one program replaces another.
Review evidence. Distinguish studies of other services from directly relevant product evidence.
Evaluate responsibly. Agree appropriate measures and privacy safeguards; do not assume employer reporting is available.

How to build a dementia-aware caregiver benefit

Recognize caregiving openly. Invite voluntary, proportionate feedback about support needs. Avoid requiring diagnoses or personal caregiving records as part of a general workforce assessment.
Discuss flexibility. Consider both planned leave and arrangements for unpredictable needs, within the employee’s role and workplace policies.
Consider complementary support. Evaluate conversation, navigation, counseling and human care according to family needs rather than treating repetitive calls as every caregiver’s main challenge.
Make access understandable and respect privacy. Explain the actual participation requirements and avoid unnecessary disclosure of family health information to managers.
Define evaluation before launch. Discuss proportionate, consent-aware evaluation and service limits. Do not imply KindredMind supplies employer dashboards, employee reports or proven workplace outcomes.

Bring KindredMind to your team.

Explore employer-funded subscriptions or optional employee-paid access under an agreed arrangement.

Explore employer-benefit arrangements →

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do employees quit over caregiving?

Caregiving demands and workplace support vary. Harvard Business School’s 2019 survey found that 32% of surveyed U.S. employees had voluntarily left a job during their career because of caregiving. This covers care types broadly, not only dementia, and is not an annual resignation rate.

How much does employee caregiving cost a company?

Employers may consider attendance, turnover and employee-reported experience when evaluating support. National lost-wage estimates describe economic effects, not the cost to a particular company or savings attributable to a benefit.

What is the best benefit for employees caring for someone with dementia?

There is no single best benefit for every family. Flexibility, navigation, counseling, human care and conversational support meet different needs. KindredMind is a specialized conversational option; comparative effectiveness and workplace outcomes have not been established here.

Are women affected more?

The Alzheimer’s Association reports that approximately two-thirds of unpaid dementia caregivers are women. That caregiver-population share does not by itself measure gender differences in an employer’s workforce or establish the effect of any particular benefit.

What is presenteeism?

Presenteeism describes reduced ability to work effectively while present at work. Caregiving may be one contributor; its extent and causes vary. It should not be assumed to cost more than absenteeism for every employee or organization.

How much does it cost to replace an employee?

Replacement costs vary by role, employer and assumptions. A national estimate cannot establish a particular employer’s replacement cost, and possible avoided costs are not demonstrated KindredMind ROI.

What is a caregiver benefit?

An employer-provided support, such as flexibility, referral services, respite credits, or a tool like KindredMind, that helps employees manage caring for a family member while staying in their job.

How do I support an employee caring for a parent with dementia?

Acknowledge the employee’s responsibilities, discuss flexibility and existing benefits, and consider their family’s needs. Conversational support may be an additional option, not a guarantee that work interruptions or distress will decrease.

Sources

Kirstin Thomas

co-founder of KindredMind and Sharon's daughter. She has been her mother's primary caregiver since 2025. KindredMind was built because she needed it.