Washington-Area Employers Examine Elder Care and Wellness Best Practices at LifeCare^® Forum

WESTPORT, Conn., June 15, 2005 – While elder care and employee wellness programs can help organizations reduce medical expenses, guard against productivity losses and manage human capital more effectively, the degree to which they'll succeed depends on two things: proper design and solid employee communications. This was one of the key messages delivered to attendees of the Elder Care and Health & Wellness Regional Forum, hosted by LifeCare^®, Inc., at the University Club on June 2. LifeCare held the Forum to share the best practices of and lessons learned by client organizations that have implemented elder care and employee wellness initiatives.

These initiatives are increasingly popular—and necessary—especially among government employers, whose employee populations tend to be older on average than those in the private sector. The Forum was attended by Human Resources and work/life professionals from a number of Washington-area government agencies including the Department of Labor, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, and the Department of Health and Human Services, among others.

Caregiving Facts from the LifeCare Forum   The typical family caregiver spends 22 hours per week and an average of $200 per month of their own money providing care.   52% of caregivers report less time for other family members and friends, and 46% report giving up vacations and hobbies.   17% of caregivers who also hold regular jobs take a leave of absence due to caregiving responsibilities, 10% decrease their work hours, and 6% quit their jobs altogether.

First on the Forum's agenda was a discussion of employer-sponsored elder care programs, led by Anissa Polverari, manager of LifeCare's adult care practice. Polverari said that elder care programs should be designed to support employees at all four stages of the elder care process—not just the stage at which caregivers must respond to an emergency, which is a common flaw among programs and limits their positive impact. Therefore, 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.

Polverari also said that a comprehensive mix of services is an important design consideration because caregivers face many different levels of need along with very unique personal challenges. Consequently, in addition to providing basic caregiving resource and referral services, employers should consider offering access to Professional Geriatric Care Managers (to conduct in-person assessments), elderlaw services (to help with the many legal issues that arise), and telephonic as well as web-based assistance (to maximize convenience and provide round-the-clock support).

Elisa Kirkhorn, LifeCare's government account manager, led the second half of the Forum, focusing on health and wellness programs. According to Kirkhorn, LifeCare's experience shows that programs with the highest levels of success are designed to offer employees a range of services—from very basic informational services to sophisticated online tools and coaching services. The reason these types of offering are successful is that they cater to employees at varying levels of “readiness to change.”

	Health & Wellness Facts from the LifeCare Forum   Chronic diseases related to lifestyle account for 70% of total healthcare spending.   Poor eating habits and lack of physical activity result in 400,000 U.S. deaths per year.   Better diet and exercise could reduce cancer rates 30 to 40%, 300 million cases worldwide.   Obesity affects 59 million Americans: 31% of all adults and 15% of children.

The range of health and wellness services that LifeCare clients have offered employees includes resource and referral services (to help employees locate healthcare providers, local fitness programs, etc.), personal health coaching, online tools and seminars (such as a Health Risk Assessment, healthy living programs that create personalized action plans, etc.), on-site health screenings, and even wellness-related discounts and special product offers.

Communication Is Key!
Regarding the importance of employee communications, Polverari stated that employers looking for the greatest level of success for their elder care programs must recognize that their employees generally fit into one of five categories: 1) those who are totally unaware of elder care as an issue; 2) those who are aware but don't plan for their own caregiving experience; 3) those who are aware and want to plan; 4) those who are already providing care and want to handle responsibilities on their own; and 5) those who are already providing care and would value help from their employers.

“Since so many employees will eventually face caregiving responsibilities of their own, 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,” Polverari said. She went on to explore some of the techniques and messaging that best resonate with each group.

Communicating to older employees about health and wellness initiatives brings its own set of challenges but it also offers some unique opportunities, Kirkhorn told the audience. She gave the following tips for communicating with employees who are age 40 and older:

		67% of older workers feel that achieving a health lifestyle is more difficult as they get older, so use messages that talk about small, easy incremental changes.
		94% of older workers know they must eat a healthier diet, but 37% are confused on what that means. Emphasize how your programs can make healthy eating easy.
		Less than 20% of older workers are looking for a “fountain of youth,” so messages should be practical, pragmatic and realistic.
		Link health messages to financial benefits, since 67% of older workers say their top concern is their financial health.
		The majority of older workers want to be more individualistic and less like everyone else, so health-related messages that reinforce individuality and uniqueness will capture their attention.

“More and more employers—especially those in the government sector, where employee populations tend to be older—need their elder care and wellness initiatives to deliver real results,” Kirkhorn says. “In a sense, the aging of America's workforce is creating a golden opportunity for Human Resources professionals to help strengthen the organization's bottom line through these programs.”

Polverari added that employers in the public and private sectors alike have long considered eldercare and employee wellness to be important issues—but not urgent priorities. “But this is changing as America's workforce ages. Without a doubt, these programs are going to become imperative to controlling costs and staying competitive.”

Notes to Editors

Anissa Polverari and Elisa Kirkhorn are available for interview.

About LifeCare^®, Inc.
LifeCare is one of the largest privately owned employee benefits organizations in the U.S. and the exclusive provider of Life Event Management^® Services. With more than 21 years of experience in delivering highly personalized counseling, education and referral services, LifeCare helps employees manage the day-to-day challenges of their lives. In turn, LifeCare helps employers improve employee commitment, recruitment, retention and workplace productivity. LifeCare currently serves 1,500 client companies with 4.5 million individuals within health plans, governmental agencies, unions and corporations. For more information, visit www.lifecare.com.

Media contact: Michael Civiello
LifeCare, Inc.
pr1@lifecare.com
203-291-4170