Research shows that about one-third of caregivers experience depression or anxiety, and nearly 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 expand resources for family caregivers. Care.com helps connect families with caregivers for child care, senior care and more. Headspace, meanwhile, is a digital health platform and app that provides guided meditation, mindfulness training, sleep tools, coaching and therapy.
Through the partnership, Care.com and Headspace launched 10 exclusive pieces of micro-mindfulness content for caregivers. These are under three minutes and are meant to give caregivers a 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’re ensuring that parents and families can find moments of peace specifically designed to fit into the small, stolen moments of a busy caregiver’s day,” said Meiling Tan, vice president of brand at Care.com, in an email. “It’s about providing holistic support that is both accessible and effective.”
Care.com is also funding free Headspace subscriptions for members. Offering free subscriptions lowers the barriers for mental health support, said Terence Lim, vice president of strategic partnerships at Headspace, in an email.
“We hope to normalize the idea that caring for yourself is not separate from caregiving, but it’s essential to sustaining it. … Caregivers often prioritize everyone else’s well-being above their own,” Lim told MedCity News. “This partnership sends a clear message that their mental health matters too. Even one minute of breathing or mindfulness can create meaningful physiological shifts that support emotional balance and long-term resilience.”
Care.com’s recent 2026 Cost of Care report found that caregivers are greatly in need of more mental health support. About 90% of parents have lost sleep and 89% feel burned out due to caregiving challenges, the report showed.
“When we looked at this year’s data, it was clear that caregiving challenges are as much emotional as they are financial,” said Brad Wilson, CEO of Care.com, in a statement. “Families don’t just need help finding and affording care — they need support navigating the emotional weight that comes with it. As we continue expanding how we support families, we’re making a conscious effort to show up not just as a service, but as a trusted partner for them.”
Other companies that provide caregiver support include Wellthy, Homethrive and Papa.
Photo: kate_sept2004, Getty Images
