We really do need a break.

• Position: Caregivers

Being trapped in a dead-end job with a lousy boss and low pay still is not as stressful as being a caregiver to a loved one--that is the opinion of one social worker who has nearly two decades of experience working with caregivers and their families.

According to the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, more than 65,000,000 Americans are caregivers to family members with a vast array of illnesses--including Alzheimer's disease, advanced diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and many others--and the hardest thing for these people to do is to give themselves a break.

"When you have a bad job in a toxic workplace, you feel trapped, but you can always try to find another job," states Sharon Brothers, a veteran social worker who now is executive vice president of Caregiver Village, an omnibus Internet community and resource hub for caregivers.

"Caregivers, however, can't just find another role. They are caring for a loved one, so the stress they live with is real and the boss they report to is themselves. They feel trapped by their love and obligation to their family members, which makes it exponentially more difficult for them to get a break, because they feel guilty whenever they try to take one. In fact. studies show that being a family caregiver is one of the most stressful 'occupations' in the country today."

What compounds the problem is that many caregivers also still have to work a regular job in order to make ends meet. Additionally, they cost businesses more than $33,000,000,000 in lost productivity, according to an AARP study.

"Most caregivers are adding this role on top of their work, children, marriage, and other commitments...