# Two decades of caregiving, and a life on hold

> Laura Lee Ehrlich has cared for five older relatives since 2002, and she is still waiting for her turn.
- Title: Two decades of caregiving, and a life on hold | Shortify
- Summary: Laura Lee Ehrlich has cared for five older relatives since 2002, and she is still waiting for her turn. Buy long-term care insurance at 18, because by the…
- Keywords: caregiving, long-term care, family, aging, burnout, business, technology, Two, decades, life, hold, Business Insider
- Source: Business Insider — https://businessinsider.com/caregiver-five-family-members-quit-job-spent-savings-2026-9
- Author: Noah Sheidlower
- Published: 2026-09-13T14:06:15.054+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: caregiving, long-term care, family, aging, burnout, business, technology
## Five people, twenty years
Laura Lee Ehrlich is 54 and lives on Long Island. Since 2002 she has cared for five older loved ones, on and off leaving work each time someone got sick.

> For the last two decades, I've been on and off working because of my family's illnesses.
## The one who stayed home
Out of five siblings, she became the default. Her mother worked for a surgeon and got her a job there, which she held for 17 years before caregiving kept pulling her out.

> I was the one who wouldn't work anymore and stay home to take care of my father.
## Her father's six extra years
In 2002 her dad had a widowmaker heart attack and open-heart surgery. Doctors gave him a year. He lived six, homebound, falling constantly, until he died in 2008.
## Then her husband died
Her husband died unexpectedly in July 2008, months after her father. The hospital treated his parents as next of kin and kept him alive four days to check his organs for donation.

> It was too much for me.
## Her father-in-law's turn
He was diagnosed with prostate cancer soon after. She drove him to radiation, ran his errands, became his power of attorney, and handled the nursing home red tape in 2021.
## The savings went
FMLA money covered part of it. When that ran out she went back to work, then drained what she had saved and cashed out her 401(k) to keep going.

> I had some money saved up and had a 401(k) I wound up using.
## Chemo, then a broken back
Her aunt got pancreatic cancer, so she drove her to chemo and sat with her four to six hours after each round. Then her aunt fell, needed spinal fusion, and she did the wound care.
## Sisters on a 24/7 rotation
Her mother broke her pelvis, thigh bone and wrist on a trip. Aides did not work out, so she and her sisters moved in and rotated around the clock for about 18 months.

> She didn't know where she was or who the people were.
## Alzheimer's, and a hired break
Her aunt began developing Alzheimer's. She watched her all day so she would not be scammed, took over the medication, hired an aide for a few hours, then took the car away.

> I know I should be more active, but I can't handle it.
## Grief she never unpacked
Four deaths, no time to process any of them. She estimates caregiving costs her $1,000 to $2,000 a month, and her new granddaughter is the bright spot.

> It's just been putting up a wall and going on to the next person who needs help.
## Buy the insurance at 18
Her advice: get long-term care insurance young. At 54 she cannot afford $800 a month, so Medicaid is her plan. Nursing school comes after her mother-in-law no longer needs her.

> When she's no longer here, that's when my life will start.
## Key takeaway

Buy long-term care insurance at 18, because by the time you need it the premiums are out of reach.