Caregiving in the Digital Age
February 2026
Technology is transforming caregiving across the United States.
A new national survey by NORC at the University of Chicago reveals that technology is becoming central to unpaid caregiving in the United States. In a major shift in how care is managed, about half of adults who provide unpaid care to someone due to age, illness, disability, or special needs now use digital tools such as remote monitoring and medication management.
Forty-eight percent of unpaid caregivers use at least one type of technology to help provide care to their loved ones, primarily parents, minor children, friends or neighbors, and spouses or partners. Medication management tools such as refill alerts and reminders are most common, with 27 percent of caregivers using them. About one in five caregivers use care coordination platforms (such as shared calendars or task lists) or telemedicine platforms for virtual visits with health care providers. Relatively few caregivers (7 percent) engage with online support communities.
Notably, 7 percent of unpaid caregivers report using artificial intelligence (AI) agents, and another 10 percent are planning or considering using AI tools. This aligns with recent NORC data that show that a quarter of U.S. adults have used AI to look for health information, reflecting Americans’ growing interest in AI for managing health.
Technology adoption is higher among older and more intensive caregivers.
Older caregivers and those who provide more intensive care are more likely to rely on technology. Fifty-eight percent of caregivers over age 45 use at least one technology support, compared with 35 percent of those ages 18 to 44.
Similarly, more than half (54 percent) of those providing six or more hours of care per week use at least one type of technology, compared to 46 percent of caregivers who provide care for fewer than six hours weekly. This pattern suggests that caregivers with more complex or demanding responsibilities may turn to technology to help manage those needs. About 6 in 10 adults caring for a parent, spouse or partner, or child under 18 reported using at least one type of technology.
However, technology adoption is not universal. Half of unpaid caregivers do not use digital tools to assist with caregiving. These non-users include 18 percent of respondents who are planning or considering using at least one type of technology, and 31 percent who have no plans to adopt digital tools into their caregiving routines.
Despite its potential, most caregivers face barriers to using technology.
More than half of unpaid caregivers—including those who do and do not use technology—report barriers that limit their ability to integrate digital tools into care. Common barriers include care recipients’ unwillingness or limited ability to use digital tools (23 percent); privacy or security concerns (20 percent); and lack of awareness about available options (18 percent). Additional challenges, such as lack of time, insufficient technical support, and high costs, further hinder technology use.
Notably, caregivers who do not use technology are more likely to report no barriers, highlighting that limited awareness of what tools exist and how they can help may also be key reasons for non-use.
“As caregiver use of technology continues to grow, so does the opportunity to expand awareness of how these tools can support them, and in what contexts technologies can make the greatest impact,” said Alycia Bayne, associate director of Public Health.
As with many aspects of modern life, digital technology is transforming how people manage care for loved ones, from medication reminders to virtual medical appointments to remote safety monitoring. As caregiving needs are anticipated to grow in the coming decades—driven by an aging population, the increasing financial burden of caregiving, and limited availability of supportive services—these tools have the potential to ease some of the demands placed on unpaid caregivers. Yet while these tools hold great promise, barriers to widespread adoption persist. Further research is needed to identify which tools are most useful, how to address persistent obstacles to use, and how to improve the usability, availability, and effectiveness of caregiving technology.
Methodology
NORC conducted a poll of 1,088 American adults between December 4 and December 7, 2025, using the AmeriSpeak® Omnibus, a bi-monthly multi-client survey using AmeriSpeak, NORC’s probability-based panel designed to be representative of the U.S. household population. The margin of error is +/- 4.0 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level, including the design effect. View a comprehensive listing of all study questions and tabulations of top-level results for each question in the topline for this NORC Spotlight on Health.
About the NORC Spotlight on Health
NORC at the University of Chicago’s Spotlight on Health is a series of quick-hitting national surveys and analyses on issues vital to health and well-being, conducted using AmeriSpeak’s probability-based panels.
About NORC at the University of Chicago
NORC at the University of Chicago conducts research and analysis that decision-makers trust. As a nonpartisan research organization and a pioneer in measuring and understanding the world, we have studied almost every aspect of the human experience and every major news event for more than eight decades. Today, we partner with government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world to provide the objectivity and expertise necessary to inform the critical decisions facing society.
Contact: For more information, please contact Anna-Leigh Ong at NORC at ong-anna-leigh@norc.org or (917) 242-2172 (cell).
