Corporate Services

The US Department of Labor estimates that 30% of the work force is currently involved in caring for an aging parent or relative. By 2010, it is expected that this caregiver workforce figure will jump to 54%, when 5 million baby boomers turn 65.

In my job as manager of a department, I was finding that more and more of my time was being taken up with helping employees deal with their personal problems. The Caregiver Resource Center provides a wonderful resource for management and line staff alike. Thank you for being there when we need you.

T. O'Rourke

Bronxville, NY

Affiliations:

National Association of Professional Geriatric

Care Managers

Geriatric Care Managers

of New England

American Psychotherapy Association

Employee Assistance Professional Association

Society for Human
Resource Management

""Eldercare will be to the 21st century what child care was to the last few decades"

Joyce Rudock, Vice President, MetLife Long Term Group

The Hidden Cost of Elder Caregiving

The Department of Labor estimates that 30% of the workforce is caring for an aging parent or relative. These working caregivers are paying a heavy price as they struggle to balance their personal and work responsibilities. By 2011, just two years from now, it is expected that this caregiver workforce figure will jump to 54%, when 5 million baby boomers turn 65.

Eldercare is an evolving challenge for employees and organizations alike.

For most employees, it’s not a question of if they will receive a call about mom being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dad breaking a hip. It’s really a question of when the call will come.

All too often, an individual finds themselves in the midst of a crisis, following an elder being involved in an accident, or experiencing a sudden illness. These individuals feel unprepared to respond, because they often lack basic knowledge regarding the elder’s medical history, medications, insurance coverage, financial matters, or what the elder’s wishes would be in the given situation. In addition, they don’t fully understand what the issues are, where to turn for help, or even what kinds of questions to ask.

Corporate America is paying a high price as their employees struggle to care for their aging relatives as reflected in absenteeism, workday interruptions, eldercare crises, and work schedule adjustments. According to a MetLife Survey, the aggregate cost of caregiving to U.S. businesses, is estimated to be more than $29 billion per year.

Despite the ever-increasing numbers of elder caregivers in the workplace, these employees continue for the most part to struggle in silence. This can be attributed to a many factors, such as caregivers don’t self identify, caregiving is an emotionally laden and very personal experience, denial, workers feel it isn’t a legitimate work concern, stigma, fear of job loss, or fear of demotion or being passed over for promotion.

It is important to note that caregiving and it’s effects in the workplace, isn’t just confined to eldercare. Other instances may arise that involve the unexpected, such as a severe accident to a spouse, partner or child.

As advances in medicine and technology allow Americans to live longer, it is likely that we will each be faced with the need to address issues related to our own, as well as a loved one's long term care. It is important to take a pro-active approach to map out a clear and effective "Advance Care Plan". This process will help to avoid unnecessary stress and financial concerns down the road. If an elder doesn’t act now to develop a plan, future events may require a loved one to step in to make decisions, usually without the benefit of the elder's input.

Studies conducted by Met-Life report:

Absenteeism

10.5% of caregivers were absent, a minimum of 6 days per year, at an estimated cost of $3.9 billion annually.

Partial Absenteeism

59% of full time employees reported that they adjusted their work schedule - 69% of caregivers arrived late or left early and; 67% took time off during the workday, to attend to
an elderly relative, at a cost of $4.8 billion.

Workday Interruptions

87% of workers made telephone calls for caregiving responsibilities while at work, resulting
in a cost of $3.7 billion.

Eldercare Crises

60% of employed caregivers reported an eldercare crisis within the previous six months,
resulting in an estimated loss of three days of work, estimated at a cost of $1.8 billion.

Work Schedule Adjustments

Employees requested formal adjustments to their work schedule due to caregiving:

Used sick time or vacation	64%
Decreased their work hours	33%
Requested a leave of absence	20%
Quit their job	16%
Retired early	13%

MetLife Study, 1997 & 1999

The Impact of Caregiving on The Supervisor

Elder caregiving affects more than just the employee and their family. More and more, we are seeing that the effects of elder caregiving is spilling over into the workplace. One of those being most directly affected, is the employee's supervisor.

Supervisors Are:

- Providing emotional support

- Arranging coverage for absent or late workers

- Counseling employees about benefits

- Dealing with workplace disruptions

Increasingly, supervisors find themselves picking up the pieces in a variety of ways, from offering emotional support to employees, to adjusting their day to deal with work disruptions.

It is estimated that supervisors spend 55.7 million hours of company time per year dealing with employed caregivers, for a total cost to business of over $800 million annually.

In most cases, supervisors have not received any specialized training that equips them to cope with the new demands of their expanded role. The end result is that their well meaning efforts, may in fact exacerbate the problems for the caregiver and the company.

A study conducted by the Eldercare Task Force of the New York Business Group on Health (NYBGH) a nonprofit coalition of businesses, found that the attitudes of immediate managers are important determinants as to whether or not employees will come forward in order to seek assistance for eldercare concerns. It was found that more than corporate receptivity to eldercare services, it is the relationship between the employee and the immediate supervisor that may have a significant impact in the utilization of eldercare services.

Many employees reported concern with confiding to their boss, that they were in a caregiving situation because the manager may not understand or be sensitive to their experience. This was true especially in the case of an older employee and a younger manager, in which the manager may not have any experience with caregiving for an elderly relative.

Eldercare Task Force of the New York Business Group on Health (NYBGH), Fall 2002

By training supervisors and co-workers to recognize and respond to eldercare issues in a timely and effective manner, these issues can be addressed before they become a real problem.

Estimate the Cost of Elder Caregiving Within Your Organization

A sample company with 400 employees:

      400 employees     X     average employee   X  6  hours           X  50 weeks
        4                              hourly salary              (average hrs.        (estimated
(25% of employees                                             lost per                2 weeks
are caregivers)                                                 week)                  vacation)

100 employees X $20.00/hour X 6 hours/week X 50 weeks/year

$600,000 loss per year due to elder caregivers

The Caregiver Resource Center is available to assist you and your organization:

	$ Reduce lost work time	$ Increase productivity and efficiency
	$ Decrease absenteeism	$ Improve staff morale
	$ Lower employee turnover	$ Provide an incentive to recruitment and hiring

Regardless of the size of your organization, The Caregiver Resource Center can help design a program, that addresses your unique needs.

Research has found that companies can realize a $3 to $13 return on every $1 invested in benefits programs, because such programs reduce the "hidden costs" that result when employees try to balance their work and family responsibilities.

National Study of dual earner sandwich generation couples, funded by

the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Needs as Expressed by Elder Caregivers

A 2004 National Council on Aging (NCOA) and AARP survey shows that employed caregivers want:

One phone number to call to get started looking for care

(consolidated service)

A way of finding information on caregiver rights, elder rights,

caregiving services, and their costs

Assistance in helping balance their work and family responsibilities

Support in helping manage their emotional and physical stress

This survey reported that "Nearly eight in ten of those caregivers (79%) who already receive an outside support service say they need more help or information."

Program Services

All services are individually designed based on the specific needs of your organization. We are available to provide services on a case by case basis (when the need arises), or in a full service annual program.

1.	Workplace Survey (e.g. understand your employees? needs & the impact within your workplace)
			Questionnaires
			Focus groups
			Face to face interviews

2.	Seminars for Supervisors - (e.g. understanding the caregiving employee, addressing work performance concerns, etc.)

3.	Educational Seminars for Employees - (e.g. aging, balancing work and caregiving, long distance caregiving, etc.)
			Brown bag lunch
			1/2 day
			Full day

4.	Printed Literature
			Caregiver Newsletter
			Flyers (Alzheimer's, alternative housing, caregiver stress, etc.)
			Pay stuffers (e.g. stress reduction techniques, depression warning signs, etc.)

5.	Caregiver Services (provided in the workplace, or in our offices)
			Information & Education
			Telephone Consultation & Referral
			Identifying and Prioritizing Issues and Concerns
			Development of an Action Plan
			Determining Needed Services
			Short Term Counseling Services (for the individual and/or their family)
			Referrals
			Crisis Consultation

6.	Research and Information (provided on local, State, & national resources)

7.	Caregiver Support Groups

8.	Caregiver Fairs

9.	Assistance in Setting up a Caregiver Library On-site

10.	A full service Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

	The Employee Assistance Professionals Association defines an (EAP) as:

		a worksite-based program designed to assist in the identification and resolution of productivity problems associated with employees impaired by personal concerns, including, but not limited to, health, marital, family, financial, alcohol, drug, legal, emotional, stress, or other personal concerns which may adversely affect employee job performance.

	For more information regarding EAPs click on Employee Assistance Programs

The Potential Benefits of Our Services

		Professional Guidance for employees through a stressful and often confusing process.
		Support for supervisors in dealing with employee caregivers.
		Reduced Employee Stress that means fewer illnesses and a reduction in sick time use.
		Research on topics and providers, so that employees won?t need to use work time to make personal phone calls or conduct searches on the Internet.
		Reduced Time Off for the employee to handle caregiving Issues
		Peace of Mind for employees that their loved ones are safe, so that they can stay focused on their job duties.
		Reduced turnover due to the fact that employees are able to locate resources to meet eldercare needs, and as such are able to find a balance between work and their caregiving responsibilities.

About Our Company

Linda A. Ziac, LPC, LADC, BCPC, CEAP, CCM - President

Employee Assistance Professionals, Inc. has over twenty five years of experience providing services for individuals, couples, families, and organizations. Our mission is to provide a broad range of high quality counseling, outreach, and consultation services to help clients assess their needs, evaluate their relationships, define their goals, and design action plans that includes specific and practical steps to achieve those goals.

Our organizational goals are to:

	-	provide services regardless of race, color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religion
	-	respect our clients' beliefs
	-	support our clients' individuality, diversity, and unique needs
	-	preserve our clients' independence, dignity, and confidentiality
	-	offer services to individuals, couples, and families
	-	consult with professionals, businesses, and other organizations
	-	design and run effective Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)
	-	conduct quality educational programs

The Caregiver Resource Center is a division of Employee Assistance Professionals, Inc. Our mission is to assist elders and their loved ones in understanding the aging process, facilitating open communication; and providing information, support and guidance through the caregiving process.

Our goals are to:

	-	offer services that will help preserve an elder's health, safety and quality of life; while at the same time allowing them to maintain their independence and dignity.
	-	provide support, understanding, and guidance to all person's who are directly or indirectly responsible for the well-being of an elder; in an effort to improve the quality of their lives.

The Caregiver Resource Center
a division of
Employee Assistance Professionals, Inc.
PO Box 122
Cos Cob, CT 06807-0122

For more information or to request a consultation, please contact:
Linda A. Ziac, LPC, LADC, BCPC, CCM, CEAP
Director
(203) 861-9833
E-mail: care4you@optonline.net

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Updated 3/01/10

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