A GLIMPSE INSIDE THE SECRET SECOND CAREER OF AMERICA'S WORKERS

by James B. Weil
Managing Director-Successful Aging
LifeCare®, Inc.

Employers nationwide, take note: millions of your workers are moonlighting an average of 22 hours per week at a job that pays them absolutely nothing. And if present trends continue, more and more of them will take up this same occupation with each passing year.

Exactly what is this secret second career? Eldercaregiving. Indeed, one out of every five Americans now provides unpaid family care to someone aged 18 or older. That's 44.4 million family caregivers—59 percent of whom also hold down regular jobs at organizations just like yours. And this is just the tip of the iceberg, according to the “Caregiving in the U.S.” report, issued in April by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP. This report provides an in-depth portrait of the state of family caregiving, updating the information last gathered in 1996. The new report holds serious implications for America's employers. First I'll share some of the report's key findings, and then I'll offer a few thoughts as to how organizations can successfully handle their own eldercaregiving challenges.

The 2004 report shows that the typical eldercaregiver is a 47-year-old female who spends 22 hours a week to provide unpaid care to a mother or grandmother. However, eldercaregiving is a definitely not a “female issue.” The percentage of male caregivers is up dramatically from the 1996 report—from 27 percent to 39 percent. It would also be incorrect to assume that eldercaregiving is an issue reserved for people in mid-life. The distribution of eldercaregivers by age is now skewing much younger: 22 percent of caregivers are 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. Rounding out this caregiver profile, the report also tells us that 37 percent of eldercaregivers have college degrees; 44 percent earn $50,000 or more; and 36 percent have children at home who are under age 18.

In addition to revealing the demographics of eldercaregivers, the report also helps us understand the challenges they're facing. For instance, caregiving carries a significant financial burden; the typical eldercaregiver spends approximately $200 per month out of her/his own pocket to help with the day-to-day expenses of long-term care. The physical and emotional load is even greater: 82 percent of caregivers arrange for or provide transportation; 75 percent shop for groceries; 69 percent do housework; 64 percent manage finances; 59 percent prepare meals; 41 percent give medications; 29 percent help with dressing; 26 percent assist with bathing; and 23 percent help with toileting. The list goes on.

Eldercaregivers are also coping with and trying to manage their loved one's aging, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer's problems (in that order of prevalence).

You may well be wondering what effect all of this has on your organization's working eldercaregivers—and on your bottom line. Certainly, it impacts productivity: 17 percent of working caregivers take leaves of absence, according to the report; 10 percent decrease their work hours; six percent quit their jobs entirely; four percent turn down a promotion; and three percent retire early. Caregiving also affects employees' health. Fifteen percent say that caregiving has made their health worse, while 35 percent experience emotional stress as a result of caregiving. Naturally, this physical and emotional toll can translate into increased health care claims filed by these individuals.

It's important to note that 40 percent of caregivers say they have no choice in becoming a primary caregiver—an important distinction since “lack of control” is also one of the main indicators that a caregiver will suffer emotional and financial stress. (The other two indicators are “level of burden” and "reported health.") Equally important, 30 percent say they need help or information about balancing work and family responsibilities as a caregiver and managing emotional and physical stress.

I've only scratched the surface of this new report. I strongly encourage employers everywhere to read the report for themselves. (It is available online at http://www.caregiving.org.) It's an invaluable tool for those who want to better understand and serve the evolving needs of their working caregivers. As you formulate your own plans for doing so, here are a few items to bear in mind:

		First, the caregiver profile is shifting dramatically. Organizations with large populations of males and younger workers should now be giving eldercare the same level of attention as employers with older workers. Programs that effectively help all workers cope with eldercare—namely resource and referral programs and employer-funded geriatric care manager (GCM) services—should now be considered critical for optimizing workforce effectiveness. And with more males and younger people becoming primary caregivers, there's a growing need for creative new options and care plans.
		Next, it's in your enlightened self-interest to help eldercaregivers maintain good physical and emotional health. Promoting your current EAP offerings, work/life programs and health and wellness initiatives—vigorously and often—can pay big dividends in employee loyalty, productivity and reduced health care claims. Work with your EAP, work/life vendor and medical carrier to implement programs especially for caregivers.
		Also, it's a good idea to ensure that your caregiver programs are comprehensive in nature. Resource and referral services, for example, are a great foundation for assisting caregivers but they often don't go far enough. Caregivers (and care recipients) can benefit immensely from the in-person, face-to-face assistance that only a GCM provides. GCMs are professional nurses and social workers trained in assessment, care planning and care management of older adults, and their services include in-home assessments, facility reviews, post-hospitalization assessments and ongoing care coordination. GCM services are an ideal supplement to resource and referral programs.
		On-site workplace GCM services are another excellent supplement to basic resource and referral programs. Employees who need help caring for an adult loved one can schedule one-on-one sessions with a qualified GCM to receive counseling and educational resources.
		As mentioned above, caregivers spend hundreds of dollars of their own money every year taking care of their loved ones. Financial assistance in the form of subsidies is a most welcome form of assistance—and one that often provides a large return on a small investment.
		The “Caregiving in the U.S.” report shows that caregivers are utilizing the Internet in larger numbers to get information about their loved ones' health conditions and treatment options, the services available to elders, and for support and advice from other caregivers. In fact, the report shows 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 (where easily accessible eldercare information resides) is becoming an increasingly important tool for you, your employees and their dependents.

As the “Caregiving in the U.S.” report makes clear, eldercaregiving is not something that most of us will get to vote on. It will become a part of our personal lives whether we want it to or not. It will also become a major business issue for employers everywhere. You can either act now to get ahead of the curve in dealing with this challenge or you can wait. Just don't wait too long. If you do, you might start losing employees to that secret second career.

Note: The “Caregiving in the U.S.” report is based on a national survey of 6,139 adults in the U.S., from which 1,247 caregivers were identified. These caregivers included a total of approximately 200 African-American, 200 Hispanic, and 200 Asian-American caregivers obtained through over-sampling. Interviewing was conducted from September 5 through December 22, 2003.

About the Author

James B. Weil is managing director of successful aging for LifeCare^®, Inc. Recognized as one of the nation's foremost authorities on issues of business and aging, Weil is responsible for developing new and innovative programs designed to help employers successfully manage and address the needs of their aging workforce.

Prior to joining LifeCare, Weil held senior positions in marketing and sales, strategic planning, and national accounts at MetLife's Group and Pensions Departments. In 1984, he established MetLife's Long-Term Care Insurance business, and managed its growth from inception through 1996. In 1996, Weil established the MetLife Mature Market Group, a corporate division responsible for orchestrating all issues related to marketing the fifty-plus population. Upon his retirement from MetLife in 1999, the company had established its position as the nation's largest group long-term care insurance provider and one of the most frequently-quoted business organizations on issues of aging.

In early 2000, Weil co-founded and was named President of Vital Aging, a caregiver information and resource company, formed as a strategic partnership with the National Council on the Aging. He is also co-founder and former chair of the Business Forum on Aging.

Weil is a Registered Financial Gerontologist, and was recently elected to the position of Co-Chair of the Board of the National Alliance for Caregiving. He also serves on the board of directors of Elderhostel and on the Advisory Council of Corporate Voices for Working Families. In the past, Weil has served on the Board of Directors of the American Society on Aging, the Long-Term Care Advisory Boards of the States of Florida, Texas, and New York, and the Employee Benefits Research Institute. He has been an advisor to three aging-related Robert Wood Johnson Committees: Lifecare at Home, Adult Day Care, and Supportive Services for Older Persons.

Weil has been a one-to-one volunteer for the Mid-Fairfield (Conn.) Hospice, and also served as the organization's Board Chair. His work as a balanced and passionate advocate for successful aging earned him the 1998 Humanitarian Award from the National Silver Haired Congress, and the Leadership Award from the American Society on Aging.

About LifeCare^®, Inc.

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 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 also offers the industry's most comprehensive suite of aging workforce and adult care services. Our GCM programs deliver the highest quality services possible, thanks to an exclusive relationship with the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers, 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. For more information, visit www.lifecare.com.

Media contact: Jim Derivan
LifeCare, Inc.
pr1@lifecare.com
203-291-4196