Research shows that about a third of caregivers experience depression or anxiety, and almost half report experiencing significant caregiver burden.
That’s why mental health company Headspace and online caregiver marketplace Care.com launched a partnership last week to increase resources for family caregivers. Care.com helps connect families with caregivers for child care, senior care and more. Headspace, on the other hand, is a digital health platform and app that offers guided meditation, mindfulness training, sleep tools, coaching, and therapy.
Through this partnership, Care.com and Headspace have launched 10 exclusive micro-mindfulness content for caregivers. These last less than three minutes and aim to allow caregivers to reset during the brief periods of time they have to themselves, such as the ‘Bathroom Break Reset’ session.
“Through our new micro-mindfulness content developed with Headspace, we are ensuring that parents and families can find moments of peace specifically designed to fit into the small, stolen moments of a caregiver’s busy day,” Meiling Tan, vice president of brand at Care.com, said in an email. “It’s about providing holistic support that is both accessible and effective. »
Care.com also funds free Headspace subscriptions for members. Offering free subscriptions reduces barriers to mental health support, Terence Lim, vice president of strategic partnerships at Headspace, said in an email.
“We hope to normalize the idea that caring for oneself is not separate from caregiving, but is essential to maintaining it. …Caregivers often prioritize the well-being of others before their own,” Lim told MedCity News. “This partnership sends a clear message that their mental health matters too. Even a minute of breathing or mindfulness can create meaningful physiological changes that support emotional balance and long-term resilience.”
The latest from Care.com Cost of Care Report 2026 found that caregivers are in dire need of more mental health support. About 90% of parents have lost sleep and 89% feel exhausted due to the challenges of caregiving, according to the report.
“When we looked at this year’s data, it was clear that the challenges of providing care are as much emotional as they are financial,” Brad Wilson, CEO of Care.com, said in a statement. “Families not only need help finding and paying for care, they need support to overcome the emotional weight that comes with it. As we continue to expand how we support families, we are making a conscious effort to present ourselves not just as a service, but as a trusted partner to them.”
Other companies that provide support for caregivers include Wellthy, Homethrive and Papa.
Photo: kate_sept2004, Getty Images