The Weil Perspective
Latest Research on Caregiving Holds Important Implications for Employers
By James Weil, Managing Director – Successful Aging

The new “Caregiving in the U.S.” report, from the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, was released in early April. The study provides an in-depth look at family caregiving, and it updates the "picture" last taken in 1996. Indeed much has changed over the past eight years. Following are some of the report's highlights as well as some of the important implications for employers.

First, the numbers:

		About 33.9 million Americans provide unpaid family care to someone age 50 or older. Stated another way, one out of every six Americans provides eldercare!
		The typical eldercaregiver is a 47-year-old female, spending 22 hours a week to provide unpaid care to a mother or grandmother. Thirty-seven percent have college degrees; 44 percent earn $50,000 or more; the majority are married; and a whopping 57 percent have jobs. Thirty-six percent have children under 18 at home. They are dealing with their loved one’s “aging,” cancer, diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer’s (in that order).
		The typical caregiver is spending approximately $200 a month out of pocket to help with the day-to-day expenses associated with long-term care. Sixty-two percent of caregivers live near their loved one (less than an hour away), 16 percent are long distance caregivers, and 22 percent are co-resident.

This new caregiver profile may not surprise you. After all, you work with these people every day. But there are some additional findings that are quite profound and have broad implications for your organization.

		First, the percentage of male caregivers is up dramatically from the 1996 survey—from 27 percent to 37 percent. So while eldercare is still predominately a “woman’s issue,” it is becoming top of mind for men, too. What does that mean for you? With more males becoming primary caregivers, there is a need for creative new options and care plans.
		Our experience working with men has shown that they look for quick solutions, are more likely to use the services of a geriatric care manager (GCM), and are more likely than women caregivers to consider institutionalizing an older loved one. They are also much less likely to tell you (their employer) or their co-workers about their “second job” of taking care of mom and dad. Most men are not used to assuming the role of caregiver, particularly when it’s unexpected. This can lead to stress and significant reduction in on-the-job productivity.
		Second, 40 percent of the caregivers surveyed stated they had no choice in whether they were to be the primary caregiver. This is a huge number, especially since “lack of control” is one of the main indicators that an individual will suffer emotional and financial stress. (The other two indicators are “level of burden” and “reported health.”) For the employer, early intervention can help obviate potential disability, medical and mental health care claims and it can help to minimize larger family problems in the future.
		Third, the distribution of eldercaregivers by age is skewing much younger. In fact, it is distributed as a curve, with 22 percent of caregivers younger than age 22; 33 percent are age 35 to 49; 32 percent are age 50 to 64; and 13 percent are over age 65. So what does this mean to your organization? In the past, conventional wisdom was that younger workforces were not greatly affected by eldercare. Childcare was the major concern. The new data confirms that this is no longer true. Employers with younger workers should treat eldercare with the same importance that employers with older workers do. Younger, male-dominant employee populations are now almost at the same level of need for eldercare as older, female-dominant workforces were in years past. Programs that effectively help all workers cope with eldercare—namely resource and referral and employer-funded GCM services—should now be considered absolutely critical for optimizing workforce effectiveness.
		Finally, the new data show that caregivers are turning to the Internet in larger numbers for information on conditions and treatment options, services available, and for support and advice from others. In fact, recent data show that people turn to the Internet as often as they turn to their family doctor when they need help! This means that your work/life provider’s web site will become an increasingly important tool for you, your employees, and their dependents.

At LifeCare, we’ve seen the future of workforce issues… and it is eldercare! In fact, broader and deeper interventions are now called for if you are to effectively help your workers deal with this quickly emerging need. We encourage all of our readers to consider adding Geriatric Care Management to their work/life benefits offerings in 2004. It’s in their enlightened self-interest to do so.

LifeCare offers one of the industry’s most comprehensive GCM programs, which arranges for highly qualified geriatric care managers—professional nurses and social workers who are trained in assessment, care planning, and care management of older adults—to conduct in-person assessments as well as a variety of additional services for caregivers and their loved ones. To ensure that we deliver the highest quality services possible, LifeCare has established an exclusive relationship with the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers (NAPGCM), the country’s preeminent professional geriatric management organization. This relationship enables LifeCare to provide employees with access to the most highly qualified geriatric care professionals nationwide. Call 866-675-3751 for complete details.