Work/Life Trends
How To Avoid the Organizational Tolls of Elder Care

Helping employees deal with their elder caregiving responsibilities is quickly becoming a business imperative. The reason? Fifty-seven percent of all people who provide care to an aging loved one also hold regular jobs, and this dual role of employee and caregiver is taking its toll: 15 percent of these employees report feeling a physical strain from their caregiving duties, 35 percent report feeling an emotional strain, and 17 percent report their health as “fair or poor” (Caregiving in the U.S.; National Alliance for Caregiving & AARP, 2004). Left unaddressed, these personal issues can plague an organization in the forms of lost productivity and soaring medical/disability costs. (See box below for additional impacts caregiving has on the workplace.)

Savvy employers now are considering augmenting their basic caregiver assistance programs (such as flexible work schedules and resource and referral services) with more comprehensive support services—access to professional Geriatric Care Managers, for example, elderlaw services, and professional counseling and coaching. It's important to note, however, that providing support programs is only half the battle. Making certain that employees actually use these programs is equally critical.

The hidden costs of elder care 69 percent of employees providing elder care reported arriving to work late or leaving early 67 percent reported taking time off during the day for caregiving 64 percent used sick days or vacation time for caregiving 22 percent took a leave of absence 20 percent reduced their career from full-time to part-time 16 percent quit their jobs and 13 percent retired early 29 percent passed up a promotion 25 percent refused a job transfer Source: MetLife Juggling Act Study (November, 1999)

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you deal with your own organization's elder care needs:

	Elder care programs should be designed to support employees at all four stages of the elder caregiving process—not just the stage at which caregivers must respond to an emergency. This is a common flaw among caregiver programs and limits their positive impact on the organization. Well designed programs should: 1) alert employees to the fact that many of them will inevitably become family caregivers; 2) help employees prepare and plan for caregiving duties; 3) enable employees to respond quickly to arising issues and needs; and 4) help employees manage the ongoing needs of their loved ones.
	Caregivers face many different levels of need as well as very unique personal challenges. No two situations are alike. As a result, a comprehensive mix of support services can be extremely beneficial to everyone. Consider backing up your basic caregiver programs with Professional Geriatric Care Management programs (which feature in-person assessments) and elderlaw services to help with the specialized legal needs that arise from aging issues.
	It's often assumed that caregivers will be thrilled by the programs put into place to support them and that they'll begin using these programs immediately. But the

Communicating with Your Categories
Once your programs are in place and your communication efforts begin, it helps to understand that your organization's caregivers will generally fit into one of five categories:

Naturally, communicating with each category brings its own set of challenges. Communicating with group number one, for example, will require intensive effort, since this group isn't familiar with the issue at all. Communicating with groups two and three may be somewhat easier but you'll need to persuade them with solid arguments (much the way you have to persuade employees to take advantage of your 401(k) plan). People in group four (who want to handle responsibilities on their own) often are uncomfortable telling employers about their caregiving needs. They feel as though it's a private matter or that their employers won't be concerned. These people need to be assured of the confidentiality of your programs, and their direct supervisors are often an important link in the communication chain. Even for those employees in group five who would value help from their employers, it's important to remember that about half of them will still find it difficult to use the program you provide. This is part of a natural reluctance to confront caregiving issues head on.

The bottom line is this: despite the challenges, it's in an employer's best interest to learn how to communicate with all of these groups and ensure that employees do some planning for their roles as caregivers. After all, the majority of them will eventually face caregiving situations of their own. If you're providing them with valuable support services, they'll not only remain more effective on the job but they'll stay loyal to you for the long term.