A loved one’s illness steals your time.
It steals your lunch breaks and your sick days. It steals the hour you were supposed to spend studying, the weekend you were going to use to catch up on sleep, the career momentum you spent years building. You’re part of the 56% of employed caregivers who have to go in late, leave early, or take time off for caregiving, and when was the last time you used PTO to rest?
It steals your savings. Nearly half of caregivers report using up savings or taking on debt. It steals your patience. Some days, it steals your ability to feel anything at all.
You steal fifteen minutes between conference calls to fight with an insurance company. You steal a half-day of PTO to sit in a waiting room.
You do this so you can more easily steal moments with your person, and you hold onto those moments like they're borrowed from a clock that won't stop running.
And the good days are so good that you can't believe you have to interrupt this moment to manage the admin slushpile that caregiving comes with. Or maybe you’re too exhausted to be fully present.
If your loved one is like my mother, this can make them feel like a burden—and that’s the last thing you want them to feel.
Stealing Time is for the 30 million people in the United States who are both working and caregiving, and who understand that the responsibilities won’t go away, however burnt out you may be.
The systems that exist weren't built for working family caregivers. The language is wrong, the assumptions are wrong, and the resources assume a life stage most working caregivers haven't reached yet.
This organization connects folks who know that time is precious and fleeting with professionals who are dedicated to making American health and wealth systems easier to manage.
Let’s steal time back.
The butt-ugly statistics of working family caregivers:
30 million people living in the United States are working family caregivers, meaning they are employed while also providing the primary source of care to someone living with an illness or disability.
The economy is missing out on $1.01 trillion in unpaid labor costs of the demands of these particular caregivers.
There are approximately $107 billion in lost earnings annually due to leaving the workforce, retiring early, or reducing their hours to care for loved ones.
U.S. businesses lose between $17.1 billion and $33.6 billion each year because of employee absenteeism, workday interruptions, and turnover due to caregiving.
This is where you come in…
We’re writing an honest and gritty caregiving playbook, Life’s a B**** and Then They Die: a clear, real-world guide that connects the dots between the American health and wealth systems through the lens of working caregivers.
Most caregiver resources are built for people who are retired and have already built or inherited wealth.
We’re writing one for people ages 18 and older who find themselves overwhelmed by all of the aspects of caregiving on top of trying to establish a career, finish college, or start a family.
Stealing Time is looking for professionals to help working caregivers navigate the American Health and Wealth systems, as well as address the avalanche of admin tasks that feels impossible to manage on top of caregiving duties.
With input from professionals like you, we’ll translate expertise into steps, decision support, and pathways that working caregivers can actually use and make it a foundation for a shared standard of support across every aspect of life.
Who We’re Looking For
We're seeking professionals whose expertise intersects with the realities working caregivers face every day. You don't need to specialize in caregiving, healthcare, insurance, or finance. All aspects of life are affected by caregiving, especially the ones nobody warns you about.
If you offer a service or knowledge that you believe caregivers will benefit from, we'd love to connect.
Healthcare & Mental Health
Healthcare navigators and patient advocates
Therapists and counselors
Geriatricians and condition-specific specialists
Respite care coordinators
Pharmacists and medication management specialists
Social Services
Social workers
Case managers and community resource specialists
Government benefits navigators
Financial
Financial advisors and financial planners
Financial coaches
Tax professionals
Debt counselors
Legal
Legal aid professionals
Elder law, disability, and benefits-related legal support
Estate planners
Advance directive and end-of-life planning specialists
Guardianship and conservatorship specialists
Insurance
Medicare and Medicaid specialists
Supplemental insurance specialists
Long-term care insurance specialists
Patient advocates and claims assistance professionals
Life insurance specialists
Benefits & Workplace Support
Benefits counselors and benefits specialists
HR and workplace accommodations experts
FMLA and leave policy specialists
ADA accommodation specialists
Career & Education
Career coaches
Academic advisors and student services coordinators
Vocational rehabilitation counselors
Home & Daily Life
House cleaners
Nutritionists
Home modification and aging-in-place specialists
Professional organizers
Home care coordinators
Community & Peer Support
Support group facilitators
Faith-based care coordinators
Caregiver peer mentors
What We’re Asking
An initial 30 to 40 minute conversation. We’ll talk about your area of expertise and how it intersects with the realities working caregivers deal with. Your insights in subsequent conversations will directly shape the Playbook and you will be fully credited.
What You Get
Cited as a contributing expert in the Life’s a B**** and Then They Die, (then you get to explain that wild title to your friends and family…)
Listed as a founding member in the upcoming Stealing Time professional resource network with a free membership
Ground-floor involvement in a growing caregiver awareness practice