While you can feel enormous satisfaction from being a family caregiver, the burdens and sacrifices are real and substantial. A recent seminal report from AARP makes clear that the challenges faced by today’s family caregivers are growing more complicated. The report, Home Alone Revisited: Family Members Providing Complex Care, details the considerable number and types of tasks borne by current family caregivers, ¼ of whom are millennials. In today’s home environment, family members are often taking on procedures previously performed by physicians or nurses, and are often juggling the symptoms of multiple health conditions. In particular, the report notes how stressful it is for family members to deal with a loved one’s pain.

And that’s not all. Many family caregivers live in fear that they will make a harmful mistake. Moreover, a recent study in JAMA confirmed that fewer than 1 in 10 family members receive any formal training for their caregiving responsibilities, surely a short-sighted approach given how much money family caregivers save the formal health care system, let alone the harm that may result from lack of training.

Of necessity, then, family caregivers need to seek out help and resources wherever they can. There are numerous online sources of instruction and support. For examples, take a look at the list of resources and instructional videos found in this recent post from A Place For Mom. AARP also has a host of instructional videos for family caregivers. And check out the list of helpful resources for caregivers on the agebuzz website.

Finally, for those whose out-of-pocket expenses are surging due to family caregiving responsibilities, there are signs of hope. It looks like a bipartisan consensus is emerging- at least on the state level- that family caregivers need some tax breaks to help bear the burden of their caregiving responsibilities. To read about some potential signs of financial relief click here.