businessinsider.com · 19 Sep, 08:13 · Business briefing

I'm 65 and caring for my 87-year-old mom with dementia. Going to work is sometimes my only break.

A recent Business Insider report highlights the reality of sandwich-generation caregivers, specifically a 65-year-old professional supporting an 87-year-old mother with dementia.

What it means for you ↓ Courses for this story

26%average salary uplift after a professional certificate

2.7xfaster promotion for certified professionals

71%of leaders prefer candidates who upskill continuously

20days to your first credential

The briefing

The story
in brief.

What happened, who it affects, and why it landed on our intelligence desk — in plain English, sixty seconds or less.

A recent Business Insider report highlights the reality of sandwich-generation caregivers, specifically a 65-year-old professional supporting an 87-year-old mother with dementia. The article reveals that for many, the workplace serves as a crucial respite from intense domestic caregiving duties. This narrative underscores the complex intersection of ageing populations, mental health challenges, and employment retention. It illustrates how traditional work structures may inadvertently support vulnerable employees by providing necessary psychological breaks, raising questions about workplace empathy and flexible arrangements for older workers managing significant family responsibilities.

Employer demand for Human Resources skills — indexed growth since 2019
Indicative index of skill mentions in professional job postings for the field this story moves (2019 = 1)

Your move

What this means
for your career.

Every headline redistributes opportunity. Here is who this one rewards — and how to be on the right side of it.

This story signals a shift in how you must approach employee retention and wellbeing. As the population ages, caregiving responsibilities will increasingly impact your workforce’s availability and focus. You need to prioritise empathy and flexibility to retain experienced talent. Develop skills in managing diverse, high-stress teams and designing inclusive policies. Pay close attention to mental health awareness and ethical leadership. A smart professional would upskill in human resources or psychology to better support colleagues facing similar pressures. By fostering a supportive environment, you reduce burnout and enhance loyalty. Prepare yourself to lead with compassion, ensuring your organisation remains resilient against the growing demands of an ageing society.

For this story, the fields that convert it into pay are Human Resources, Psychology, Healthcare Management and Leadership — exactly the programmes matched below. The chart shows the indicative salary uplift certified professionals report in each of those fields; every one of them is a click away, from £79, finishing in as few as 20 days.

Indicative salary uplift in the fields matched to this story
Indicative ranges from published continuing-education salary studies, by field — each field is a recommended course below

Matched to this story

Enrol in these
to benefit.

These programmes position you for exactly this shift — online, self-paced, and finishing with a verifiable certificate you can share the day you pass.