Matt and Kanlaya Cauli were a young couple, busy building their lives and raising their seven-year-old son, Ty. Then, the unimaginable happened. Kanlaya’s two massive strokes and cancer diagnosis left her paralyzed and cognitively impaired. Overnight, Matt went from husband and father to full-time caregiver, juggling his wife’s complex medical needs while striving to create stability and a sense of normalcy for their son.
Matt’s story, featured in the documentary Caregiving (executive produced by Bradley Cooper), is deeply personal. It’s also a window into a crisis that’s reached a breaking point across America.
One Family’s Story, Millions Facing the Same Reality
What Matt faces daily is not unique. 63 million Americans are now caregivers, a nearly 50% increase since 2015. That’s nearly 1 in 4 adults providing ongoing care. Like Matt, nearly 1 in 4 caregivers provide 40+ hours of care per week while one-third have been caregiving for five years or more. Nearly 1 in 3 are also raising children under 18, caught in the “Sandwich Generation.”
The Financial and Health Toll
Matt’s story reveals the hidden costs of caregiving, whether unpaid or paid. Nearly half of all caregivers experienced at least one major financial impact, such as taking on debt, stopping retirement savings, or being unable to afford basic necessities. The physical toll is equally severe. One in five caregivers report poor health, with many performing complex medical tasks (yet only 22% receive any training). For Matt, this means learning medical procedures on the fly while managing constant stress.
The Professional Caregiver Crisis
Matt’s situation also shows why families are forced into full-time caregiving roles: there simply aren’t enough professional caregivers. In 2023, 1.8 million vacancies existed in care professions, while the direct care workforce faced turnover rates between 40% and 60%.
The reasons are clear: The median hourly wage for direct care workers was $13.56, most lack health insurance or training, and the work is physically and emotionally demanding. For every 10 paid caregivers who leave, one person in another part of the economy must leave their job to backfill as an unpaid caregiver. This vicious cycle perpetuates the crisis.
The Economic Impact
This isn’t just a family issue. A Boston Consulting Group report projects a loss of $290 billion annually in GDP by 2030 if the crisis continues. Approximately 40 million caregivers rely on paid care providers to maintain their employment. When support systems fail, caregivers are forced out of the workforce entirely.
Why Matt’s Story Matters
Matt’s dedication to Kanlaya and Ty represents both extraordinary love and an impossible burden. Behind every statistic (the 63 million caregivers, the $870 billion in unpaid labor, the 1.8 million job vacancies) are real families making impossible choices every day.
By sharing stories like Matt’s through the Caregiving documentary, we create the urgency needed for systemic change. Whether you are currently a caregiver, have been one, or will need care in the future, his journey is a call to action to build a society where compassion and support are systemic, not just individual acts of heroism.
The documentary Caregiving, executive produced by Bradley Cooper, brings together personal stories like Matt’s to illuminate the state and stakes of care in America.
