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82 Percent of Employees Now Need Help of a PGCM, According
to LifeCare Poll
WESTPORT, Conn., October 20, 2004 – Eighty-two percent of employees
report that they have an older loved one who could benefit from the hands-on
assistance of a Professional Geriatric Care Manager (PGCM) within the next year,
according to a recent survey by LifeCare®, Inc., one of the largest
privately owned employee benefits organizations in the U.S. LifeCare conducted
the survey online among the employees of its 1,000+ client companies nationwide.
“There's simply no mistaking that response,” says James B.
Weil, LifeCare's director of Successful Aging. “The majority of workers across
the country are personally facing the need for broader and deeper support when
it comes to caring for their older loved ones.” The resounding proof, notes
Weil, comes from the “Caregiving in the U.S.” report, released earlier this
year by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP. The report shows that
one out of every six Americans—nearly 40 million—provides unpaid family
care to someone age 50 or older. These family caregivers are dealing with their
loved one's “aging” issues, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer's
(in that order).
“Family caregiving puts a tremendous strain on employees—physically
and emotionally,” says Weil. “Their caregiving responsibilities can all too
easily overwhelm them and affect their performance at work.” (See “The Impact
of Elder Care” below.) According to Weil, a valuable first step toward giving
these employees the help they need is to provide them with work/life programs,
flexible work arrangements and access to support groups or counseling assistance.
In many cases, however, an elder person's needs are quite complex or require
more attention than a family member can give. “In these cases, Geriatric Care
Management programs are an ideal solution,” says Weil.
A high-quality, comprehensive GCM program arranges for a qualified
professional geriatric care manager to actually visit with elders (and family
members), assess their health and ongoing needs firsthand, and then create customized
care plans. In addition to these face-to-face assessments, such a program also
arranges for care facility reviews, post-hospitalization assessments, ongoing
care coordination, and it provides counseling and education services for family
members/ caregivers.
“The bottom line,” states Weil, “is that GCM programs benefit
everyone involved: elders receive better care, caregivers make more informed
decisions and worry less about their loved ones, and employers get more focused
and productive workers.”
The Backbone of the Nation's
Caregiving Network
Professional Geriatric Care Managers are usually trained in nursing or social
work (or related disciplines) and their qualifications include instruction in
geriatrics and gerontology. Unlike many other professionals, who focus their
attention in a specific discipline, PGCMs are holistic in their approach. According
to Weil, they're trained to treat the patient, not the illness. Their focus
is not on the health condition alone but on the individual's financial, spiritual,
and emotional needs as well. PGCMs also support the needs of the family.
“Elder care support is not a one-size-fits-all benefit. Each
employee's situation and the needs of her or his loved one are unique. And the
best way to serve those needs is through sound work/life programs supplemented
by high-quality GCM programs,” says Weil.
LifeCare's GCM Program, for example, gives client employees
exclusive access to the Guild, a preeminent organization of the National Association
of Professional Geriatric Care Managers, whose members must meet strict educational
and experience requirements, abide by a Pledge of Ethics, adhere to Standards
of Practice, and maintain minimum insurance requirements. The Association's
strict quality criteria are unique in the industry, which is still largely unregulated.
Through this partnership with the Guild, LifeCare's GCM program offers client
employees a unique combination of education consultation and referral 24-7,
through the phone, internet, print and face-to-face interactions.
Notes to Editors
James Weil is available for interview.
LifeCare®, Inc. is one of the largest privately
owned employee benefits organizations in the U.S. and the exclusive provider
of Life Event Management® Services. With over 20 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 nearly 1,500 client companies
with more than 4.5 million individuals within health plans, governmental agencies,
unions and corporations—nearly 10 million covered lives. For more information,
visit www.lifecare.com.
Media contact: Jim Derivan
LifeCare, Inc.
pr1@lifecare.com
203-291-4196
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