The Weil Perspective
GCM Programs: A Much-Needed Life Line For Today’s Busy Caregivers
By James Weil, Managing Director – Successful Aging

With the aging of America’s population, many employees are facing a crisis. They can’t afford to sacrifice their career to care for their aging loved ones, and yet their caregiving responsibilities continue to escalate. Their home life is suffering, their focus in the workplace is continually interrupted, and they’re unsure about their caregiving options or even how to determine the needs of their aging loved ones.

Fortunately, employers are responding to this crisis—and with good cause. Caregiving costs U.S. businesses an estimated $11 to $29 billion a year in lost productivity, according to a MetLife study in 1999. In addition, companies that support their employees’ caregiving needs (and other work/life needs) have an edge when it comes to retaining and recruiting top-performers. Most large companies now offer work/life programs such as LifeCare’s to help employees find information and referrals for child care, eldercare, and other life events such as pregnancy, adoption, education, and financial/legal issues. These programs are extremely helpful to people who are trying to balance a career with caregiving responsibilities.

In fact, at LifeCare, we’ve noted that for some of our clients, 30 to 40 percent of all calls are from employees seeking basic eldercare services such as finding affordable long term care facilities, in-home care, and transportation. But sometimes these services simply don’t go far enough, most notably for employees trying to provide care from a long distance. Not only is it hard to find the time for effective caregiving but many caregivers struggle to identify the type of care their loved ones really need.

That’s why conscientious employers have begun to supplement their work/life benefits with geriatric care management programs. These programs “go the extra mile” for employees by providing them with a free in-home assessment (or at-work consultation) by a qualified Geriatric Care Manager (GCM), a professional nurse or social worker who is trained in the assessment, care planning, and care management of older adults. By visiting elders in their own homes, the GCMs can conduct an in-depth assessment of the elder’s physical, mental, social and financial needs. The caregiver then receives a detailed care plan that provides recommendations for follow-up care—anything from in-home nursing assistance to meal delivery programs and financial services. And typically, the work/life provider will then help the caregiver follow the plan by providing referrals to appropriate resources in the elder’s community.

Although these programs were in their infancy only a year or so ago, they’re now expanding throughout corporate America. More and more companies are assuming the cost of the in-home assessments (and sometimes onsite workplace consultations) and reaping the benefits in improved productivity levels and increased morale. Employees, in turn, are able to return their focus to their careers, comforted by the knowledge that their loved ones are being cared for appropriately.

If employers continue to implement these GCM programs at the rate they have been, caregivers and their employers won’t be the only ones to benefit. The real winners will be our nation’s elderly.

If you are interested in learning about LifeCare’s Geriatric Care Management Program or speaking to some of our clients who have recently implemented these programs, please contact your account manager.