• Posted December 9, 2025

Older Caregivers' Loneliness Relieved By An Unlikely Source, Study Reveals

Lonely caregivers might find solace from an unexpected source — the internet.

Staying connected through the internet can help older caregivers feel less lonely and cope better with the stress of caring for ailing family or friends, researchers recently reported in the journal JMIR Aging.

“Using the internet to connect with friends, family or fellow caregivers can really lighten the emotional load of caregiving because it reminds you that you’re not alone,” said lead researcher Xiang Qi, an assistant professor at New York University.

“Think of it like a bridge that can connect you to people and information, even when you can’t leave home,” he added in a news release.

These results run counter to the growing consensus that technology is creating isolation among young people, researchers noted.

About 12% of older caregivers struggle with loneliness, researchers said in background notes. People caring for those with dementia are 62% more likely to experience loneliness compared to other caregivers.

For this study, researchers tracked nearly 4,000 people 65 and older providing unpaid care for a family member or friend, using data gathered by the 2019-2020 California Health Interview Survey.

About 12% of the older caregivers reported physical or mental health problems because of their caregiving duties, and folks with these issues tended to feel lonelier.

“Caregiving can really take a toll on a person’s body and mind, from chronic stress and anxiety to aches and pains from lifting or helping the person they care for,” Qi said. “In fact, a lot of caregivers end up neglecting their own health because they’re so focused on someone else’s needs.”

However, results showed that those who used the internet often felt less lonely overall.

In fact, hopping online frequently appeared to act like a buffer, reducing the extra loneliness that caregivers with health problems would otherwise experience.

Unfortunately, the data used in the study did not capture what these caregivers were doing online. Qi plans to explore this in future studies.

“I think the type of internet activity could matter — for example, playing games online might help a caregiver relax and pass the time, but joining a virtual support group or video chatting with friends could do more to ease loneliness because you’re actually interacting with people,” he said.

“My hunch is that activities which involve social interaction or getting support would provide more benefit against loneliness than just passive activities, but we need studies to confirm that,” Qi added.

Given these results, the research team encourages older caregivers to embrace the internet as a tool that could help them stay in touch with others, find support, learn new skills and access reliable info on health issues.

More information

The Family Caregiver Alliance has more on caregiver resources.

SOURCES: New York University, news release, Nov. 27, 2025; JMIR Aging, Nov. 27, 2025