America's caregiving crisis may emerge in a hospital, but it builds inside homes, where sons, daughters, spouses, relatives, and friends step into roles they never expected to fill. They become advocates, companions, and decision-makers, often with little preparation and even less support. Quinard McDonald, founder of Someone To Lean On (SOLO), believes the greatest challenge many caregivers face has little to do with the work and more to do with the isolation that comes with it.
After serving 21 years in the military and another 15 years in government service, McDonald thought he understood sacrifice. Life, however, presented him with a different calling when his mother suffered a serious fall. With family members unable to help, he made a decision that changed the trajectory of his life. He sold his belongings, left his career, and became his mother's full-time caregiver.
"I've been doing it for the last eight years," McDonald says. "Nobody's ever called me and said, 'Do you need any help?' and that made me think that I can't be the only one going through that."
He wasn't.
Across the United States, approximately 59 million family caregivers provide unpaid care for aging parents and loved ones while balancing financial responsibilities, careers, and their own well-being. McDonald believes many are navigating those demands without anyone who truly understands what they are experiencing.
"Caregivers should actually talk to other caregivers because nobody truly knows what you're experiencing unless they've been through it themselves," he explains. That conviction inspired the creation of Someone To Lean On, a growing caregiver support community dedicated to helping caregivers find encouragement, practical guidance, and meaningful human connection.
The goal behind the organization, in McDonald's view, was to help communities recognize caregiving as a shared responsibility instead of an isolated one.
His perspective is reinforced by Gloria Moore, whose caregiving experience spans more than four decades. Shortly after marrying in 1984, Moore understood the depth of her responsibility and became a caregiver for her mother-in-law, who had Alzheimer's disease. Caring for one, she recalls, soon led to caring for another, eventually including her father-in-law, grandfather, and parents.
Through every chapter, one need remained constant: support. Moore says, "My husband and I, we did the majority of the caregiving. You just have to step up and do what you need to do because of the love you have for your loved one."
The experiences McDonald and Moore had now reflect a reality they believe is becoming increasingly common. As America's aging population continues to rise, more families are expected to fall into caregiving roles, often without training, resources, or a reliable support network. McDonald argues that healthcare conversations often focus on patients while overlooking the people caring for them every day.
"Caring for someone shouldn't mean feeling like you're by yourself. Something needs to be addressed right now," he says.
SOLO seeks to address that need by connecting caregivers with one another while also introducing them to resources they may never have known existed. McDonald recalls learning about public programs that can help provide in-home caregiving assistance, opportunities many families may miss simply because no one tells them they are available.
The organization also encourages caregivers to care for themselves, recognizing that emotional and physical well-being directly affects their ability to care for others. McDonald highlights a simple philosophy that guides his own approach. "You've got to exercise your mind, body, and spirit. If you slow down, you go down," he notes.
Moore has witnessed those challenges firsthand. Years of lifting loved ones, managing medical needs, and carrying emotional responsibilities eventually affected her own health. She believes caregivers often ignore warning signs because they remain focused on someone else's needs.
"A lot of times, the caregiver themselves, their body starts to break down, and then the mind begins to weigh in," Moore explains.
She also hopes more caregivers will recognize the emotional impact of the role. Looking back, Moore notes that she experienced depression long before she understood what she was feeling, an experience she now knows many caregivers tend to share.
McDonald believes a stronger education can help families prepare before caregiving responsibilities become overwhelming. Through future podcasts and community programming, SOLO plans to feature healthcare professionals, attorneys, psychologists, caregivers, and wellness experts who can offer practical guidance on subjects ranging from stress management to dementia care and legal planning.
In addition, during Moore's experience caring for her mother, she developed a program that combined both therapeutic and social activities, while focusing on brain growth. These activities were rooted in what was familiar for her mother before her illness, resulting in a shift from stage 7 dementia to stage 1. This progress is the result of Moore's promise to her mother, when she said, "I can get you back to some sort of independence, but it will take work."
Preparing families before a crisis occurs is another priority. McDonald encourages caregivers to establish powers of attorney and healthcare directives early, helping protect aging loved ones and those who often sacrifice careers and financial security to care for them. "People need to have those things established ahead of time. Caregivers give up so much of their lives," he says.
Moore believes those conversations also protect families from unnecessary conflict during already difficult seasons. After navigating legal and financial challenges while caring for her own loved ones, she sees advance planning as an act of compassion instead of simply a legal exercise. "It's so vital to protect not only the loved one, but also the family as a whole," Moore says.
McDonald envisions SOLO becoming a nationwide network where caregivers can find trusted information and remind one another they are never alone. He also hopes schools, faith communities, healthcare providers, and local organizations will play a larger role in rebuilding the sense of community that many caregivers say has disappeared.
"We want to develop a community where everybody helps each other," he says.
Caregiving might inevitably touch nearly every American family at some point. McDonald and Moore believe the country's response cannot rest solely on healthcare systems or government programs. According to him, lasting change will come when communities recognize caregivers not as invisible helpers, but as people who deserve someone to lean on themselves.
Rebuilding that missing structure, one relationship and one shared resource at a time, is what SOLO is betting the next stage of America's caregiving crisis will require.
