The Evolving Role of Middle-Aged and Older Adults as Caregivers: Challenges, Opportunities, and Societal Impact

With global aging population, an increasing number of middle-aged and older adults (aged 50+ years) are assuming the role of informal caregivers for spouses, partners, adult children, grandchildren, or other family members. This demographic shift has profound implications for public health, social support systems, and the health and wellbeing of both older caregivers and their care recipients. Despite this trend, research has historically emphasized middle-aged and older adults as care recipients, often overlooking their vital role as caregivers. Therefore, there is a growing need to examine the unique experiences, challenges, and contributions of older caregivers.

This Research Topic aims to explore all dimensions of informal caregiving by middle-aged and older adults. Our goal is to stimulate a robust, multidisciplinary dialogue that recognizes these informal caregivers as essential contributors to caregiving networks. By doing so, we aim to advance research, policy, and practice in support of aging societies.

The scope of this collection includes, but is not limited to, the following themes:
• The prevalence and demographic trends of caregiving among middle-aged and older populations;
• Physical, emotional, and cognitive health impacts of caregiving responsibilities among middle-aged and older caregivers;
• The impact it may have on family functioning;
• Socioeconomic, cultural, and gender-based, geographic, and political factors shaping caregiving roles and caregiver health outcomes;
• The interplay between caregiving, social engagement, and healthy aging;
• Intervention strategies, policy responses, and community support to sustain middle-aged and older caregivers’ health and wellbeing;
• Applications of implementation science frameworks that guide the design, adaptation, and scaling of interventions aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of middle-aged and older caregivers;
• Analyses of cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit, and resource allocation for programs supporting middle-aged and older caregivers, particularly those highlighting how economic evaluation can inform policy decisions and optimize support systems for aging populations;
• Investigations of caregiving experiences among migrant middle-aged and older adults, challenges in local and transnational caregiving networks including the cultural, socioeconomic, and policy barriers that affect these groups;
• Technological and innovative solutions to assist middle-aged and older caregivers’ health and wellbeing, particularly in relation to health promotion and disease prevention.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Aging, caregivers, challenges, socioeconomic, wellbeing

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.