Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Support Working Caregivers – An Emerging Business Imperative (Blog 9/2/25)
Although AI offers some amazing contributions to caregiving, it also raises some concerns and challenges that we can’t ignore. Let’s first take a look at some of the improvements that AI has brought to the care space.
AI Benefits
One of the primary benefits of AI is that it is easing some of the day-to-day pressures caregivers face in keeping their care recipients safe and ensuring that their medical needs are addressed. Technology now includes smart home devices that can remind patients to take their medications, monitoring systems that can detect falls, and wearable sensors that can provide real-time vital signs, glucose levels, etc., over long distances. These AI devices help to improve the efficiency of patient care as well as caregiver peace of mind.
AI systems also help caregivers make more informed decisions by analyzing large collections of patient data and diagnostic images (e.g., MRIs, X-rays) to detect chronic conditions like heart disease and cancer in their early stages. Additionally, an important side effect of AI is that of broadening access to care. AI tools make options like remote consultation and telemedicine viable options for individuals living in remote areas and those with mobility issues that make it difficult for them to get to a doctor’s office.
AI is stepping forward to provide innovative solutions to better help caregivers alleviate the conflict between their work and caregiving responsibilities. Unfortunately, however, the whole story around AI is not all good news.
AI Concerns
Maintaining data privacy and security is a major concern associated with the use of AI systems. To offer practical and effective assistance, AI systems require access to sensitive health data. How this information is collected, stored, shared, and protected is important to individual patients and to businesses collectively.
You’ve probably heard at some point in time that what goes into a computer has a significant impact on what comes out of it. The concern here is related to data bias. For example, the use of medical data baselines that contain an underrepresentation of particular demographic groups could lead to incorrect treatment or misdiagnoses for people in those groups. Another major concern around AI is the loss of human interaction. Yes, AI can indeed enhance decision-making and efficiency, however, it is not a substitute for the human touch that a caregiver can provide.
What Employers Can Do
Did you know that, according to current research, 73% of employees have some type of caregiving responsibilities in addition to their jobs? This means that family caregiving has evolved from being solely a family condition to a workplace challenge as well. Along these lines, Dor Skuler made the following observation in his Forbes article - The Caregiving Crisis: Why Employers Should Take Notice And How AI Can Help:
“Family caregiving is quietly reshaping the workplace, and its impact is too significant for employers to ignore. It’s time to explore how employers can support their caregiving employees while embracing innovative solutions like AI to ease the strain.”
We think Skuler has it right. The challenges that family caregiving have brought to the workplace have impacted businesses in many ways, including absenteeism, presentism, retention, burnout, decreased productivity, and diminished morale.
Employers who take a proactive approach to providing support for their caregiving employees can help improve the productivity and resilience of their workforce. By offering employee benefits packages that include AI support tools for caregivers, employers can help their employees better manage their caregiving and professional responsibilities. Here are some examples of AI-powered resources/tools employers can offer:
Wellthy and ianacare - AI alignment with care coordinators to manage care planning, appointments, streamline tasks, provide community support, and reduce caregiver stress
Spring Health/Lyra Health/Modern Health – use AI matching to offer personalized mental health resources to address caregiver grief or burnout
Motion (AI Scheduling) – plans and protects employees’ time around caregiving and work duties, automatically re-prioritizing tasks to diminish daily overload
Torchlight by Bright Horizons – provides on-demand digital guidance for childcare, elder care, and other care recipient needs
Employer Call to Action
The increasing population of working caregivers in American businesses is not a condition to be taken lightly. This crisis-level situation is already impacting businesses’ bottom line, as well as their ability to attract and retain needed talent. Employers who recognize the challenges of working caregivers and implement strategies to address them will reap the benefits now and in the future. As our elderly population in this country continues to rise, so will the number of employees who take on the roles of working caregivers. Employers who act now to provide meaningful and sustainable support for their caregiving employees will help to attract needed talent, improve employee satisfaction and loyalty, and strengthen their bottom line. Happier and healthier work cultures contribute to employee productivity and retention. After all, business is personal!
Until the next blog!
Thank you for reading, for being here, and for caring!.
Reference
Forbes, The Caregiving Crisis: Why Employers Should Take Notice And How AI Can Help, by Dor Skuler, January 03, 2025.