1
Join the Community
Reach out through our website or by phone. We verify your coverage and connect you with the right therapist.
Caregiver support
Caring for someone you love is a full-time job. So is taking care of yourself.
Whether you're caring for a spouse, a parent, or a sibling, you're carrying a load that most people will never see. Therapy is a place to set it down for an hour. Covered by Medicare. By phone or video.
Lily is Total Life's AI wellness coach, here for everyday support and answers. She is not a medical provider and does not replace therapy.
Medicare-covered
Covered by Medicare and most major plans
You're not alone
What caregiver stress can feel like.
- You're losing weight, or gaining it, and can't remember the last meal that felt normal.
- You can't remember the last time you saw a friend.
- Sundays disappeared.
- You snap at people who don't deserve it, and feel guilty afterward.
- You're caring for someone, and forgetting yourself.
- Resentment is creeping in, then guilt about the resentment.
- Your own health appointments keep getting pushed back.
- You haven't slept through the night in months.
These are common experiences, not a diagnostic checklist. A licensed therapist can help you understand what you're feeling without rushing to label it.
Why this is different after 65
Why caregiving in later life is its own kind of hard.
Roughly half of all unpaid caregivers in America are over 50, and many are over 65 themselves. Spousal caregivers often have their own chronic conditions. The sandwich generation, caring for both parents and adult children, includes people in their 70s and 80s. Caregiver burnout is one of the leading predictors of crisis decisions about a loved one's care. Therapy is one of the most protective things you can do for the person you're caring for, by caring for yourself.
53M
Americans are unpaid caregivers
Source: AARP & National Alliance for Caregiving, 2020
40%+
Of caregivers report their own health has gotten worse
Source: Family Caregiver Alliance
1 in 3
Caregivers report experiencing depression
Source: CDC, 2023
How therapy helps
How therapy supports you with caregiver support.
Permission to say the hard things
Resentment, exhaustion, guilt, anticipatory grief. Therapy is the one place you can say them out loud without it costing you anything.
Practical boundaries and pacing
Caregiving is a marathon. A therapist can help you build a sustainable rhythm, draw lines that hold, and notice when you're running on empty.
Grieve while they're still here
Anticipatory grief, the grief that begins before the loss, is one of the least understood parts of caregiving. Naming it is the first step toward carrying it.
How It Works
Getting started is simple.
2
Find Your Match
After a short conversation about your needs, we recommend an experienced counselor and schedule your first session.
3
Start Your Journey
On the scheduled date, your therapist reaches out by phone or video, and you begin working through what matters to you.
Why Total Life
Total Life vs. in-person therapy
| Total Life | In-person | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting started | Matched with a therapist within 24 hours | Often weeks on a waitlist |
| Where you meet | From home, by phone or video | Drive to an office |
| Specialization | Therapists who focus on adults 65+ | General practice, varies |
| Medicare | Covered by Medicare; most members pay $0 | May be out of network |
| Scheduling | Flexible times that fit your week | Limited office hours |
| Comfort | Talk from your own home | An unfamiliar waiting room |
All 50
States served
200+
Licensed providers
6+
Insurances accepted, plus Medicare
Meet Our Providers
Licensed therapists who specialize in older adults.
TA
Dr. Tanya Alonso
Licensed Psychologist
Licensed in your state, with a master's-level education or higher and specialized training in the mental health of older adults.
IR
Dr. Ian Rivera
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
Licensed in your state, with a master's-level education or higher and specialized training in the mental health of older adults.
PV
Dr. Preeti Vidwans
Licensed Psychologist
Licensed in your state, with a master's-level education or higher and specialized training in the mental health of older adults.
Why Our Clients Choose Total Life
Total Life has served over 10,000 adults and led over 100,000 sessions.
92% of members stay with their assigned therapist.
Dr. Tim Calvin has been a God Send. He is a kind, gentle and humorous man.
Read Reynold’s full storyShow less
Dear Total Life. Thank you for your wonderful service of therapy for the elderly. I had been searching for some time for therapy services for the elderly. I kept running into roadblocks until I ran across Total Life on the internet.
I had been an MSW/LCSW for 54 years and a BSW for 11 years before that. Yes, I will be 87 a few days from now. I just fully retired on March 31, 2026. I found myself drifting in the middle of Lake Michigan for some months until I found Total Life and realized there was a group of therapists reaching out to Medicare patients.
I was really fortunate I had not found someone before Total Life. I have been working on Erikson’s last stage of life and addressing the new life situations that “old age” has brought knocking. I find this a more pleasant experience compared to earlier therapy addressing the traumas and problems of growing up, plus the stress of relationships, children, addiction, financial, education and work.
A giant “THUMBS UP” for Total Life and Tim (Dr. Calvin).
Reynold Wolter
Total Life member · Working with Dr. Tim Calvin · MSW/LCSW (retired, 54 years) · Age 87
What Members Experience
Progress, session by session.
3
After three sessions
After three sessions a majority of clients have hope that their situation is improving.
6
After six sessions
After six sessions a majority of clients have reflected that actual change occurred.
Take the first step. We'll do the rest.
Covered by Medicare. Most members are matched with a therapist within 24 hours.
Common questions
Questions older adults ask about caregiver support.
Can I do therapy while caring for someone else?+
Yes. In fact, this is one of the most common reasons older adults reach out to Total Life. Sessions are by phone or video, from home, and we work around the unpredictable schedule that caregiving creates.
I feel guilty when I'm not with them. Is therapy selfish?+
No. Caregiver burnout is one of the biggest risks to the person you're caring for. Therapy isn't time taken from them; it's an investment in the longevity of the care you can give. Many members say this is the most important hour of their week.
Can my parent or spouse get therapy at the same time?+
Yes, separately. Many Total Life households have both a caregiver and a care receiver in therapy with us, with different therapists. Both are covered by Medicare if both are 65+ or otherwise eligible.
What's anticipatory grief, and is that what I'm feeling?+
Anticipatory grief is the grief that begins before the loss, while you're still caring for someone with a serious or progressive illness. It is real, and it is recognized by clinicians. Therapy can hold both the grief and the caregiving at the same time.
Will Medicare cover therapy for caregivers specifically?+
Yes, if you're a Medicare beneficiary. Medicare covers behavioral health sessions with a licensed clinician as a Part B benefit. You don't need to have a diagnosis to start therapy. Most members with supplemental insurance pay $0.
I don't have time for an appointment. Can sessions be flexible?+
Yes. Total Life sessions happen by phone or video, from wherever you are. Many caregivers do sessions from the parking lot of a hospital, the kitchen at 7am, or the chair next to the person they're caring for, on mute, with headphones.
Is it normal to resent the person I'm caring for?+
Yes. Resentment is one of the most common feelings in long-term caregiving, and one of the least talked about. Therapy is a place to look at it without judgment. Naming it often reduces the guilt that comes with it.
Can therapy help with the decision to place a loved one?+
Yes. The decision about long-term care, in-home support, assisted living, or memory care, is one of the hardest a family makes. A therapist won't make the decision for you, but they can help you think through it without the pressure of family opinions.
I'm caring for someone with dementia. Can therapy help?+
Yes. Caring for someone with dementia is one of the most isolating experiences a person can have. Many Total Life therapists specialize in dementia caregiver support, including anticipatory grief and the changing relationship with the person you're caring for.
Total Life is a Medicare provider. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or part of Medicare or any government agency.