Eldercare in the Workplace Survey Summary June 2010 Prepared by: Center for Healthy Aging

Providing care to parents, other family members, or friends is becoming pervasive. People do not necessarily know what to do or where to go for help. This survey is designed to help identify the issues and problems of eldercare in the workplace. Once the issues are identified, we can start taking steps towards developing helpful educational and service programs. This study is sponsored by the State of Nevada Governor’s Commission on Aging and the Center for Healthy Aging in cooperation with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. The survey questions were designed to gather information about the issues and needs that workers have in trying to meet the responsibilities of providing care to older adults (50 years and older).  Survey was sent via on May 24, 2010 to 484 employees  87 responses were collected = 17.9%  First response was collected on May 24, 2010  Last response was collected on June 3, 2010 All responses were voluntary and confidential

 48 employees spend and average of 104 working hours per year on caregiving responsibilities. Based on their average salary, the employer’s cost is approximately $400,000/year  One-half of the caregivers are in the early stages of caregiving (0 – 1 year) ◦ a good time to reach them with information and education  71% of caregivers responded that their work/career has been affected in some capacity due to their caregiving responsibilities

 58.8% indicated they take personal time for their caregiving responsibilities; 26.8% have used their vacation time  60.6% of the caregivers would like to know more about Caregiving benefits offered through their employer  62.7% of the employees rated their health as good; 17.6% as excellent; and 19.6% as poor. ◦ Health concerns arise when employees are also caregivers. The stress of balancing work and caregiving responsibilities can negatively impact the employee’s health. Costs (ie: premiums) for the employer can (and typically do) increase when the employee’s health declines.

Ages 20 – 29 = 3% Ages 30 – 39 = 9% Ages 40 – 49 = 36.4% Ages 50 – 59 = 40% Ages 60 – 69 = 9% Ages 70 + = 1% Age Range/Breakdown (85 responders):

38.1% Male; 61.9% Female Gender (84 responders) Never married 8.1% Married 70.9% Divorced 17.4% Separated 0.0% Widowed 2.3% In a committed, non-marital relationship 1.2% Marital Status (86 responders)

Professional 30.1% Managerial 22.9% Administrative 33.7% Technical 13.3% Job Function (84 responders)

Salary Range (83 responders)

Other: Mother in law moved in with us for full care Legal Guardian – Live with to provide daily care Medicare, Social Security Benefits, Medical Insurance (87 responders)

(59 responders) Other: Aunt – 3

(55 responders)

Yes = 40.4% No = 59.6% Are you the Primary Caregiver? (57 responders) Less than one year = 17.6% 1 to 5 years = 50.9% 6 to 10 years = 15.6% 11 to 15 years = 3.9% Over 15 years = 11.7% How long have you been providing care? (51 responders)

Where does the care recipient reside? (52 responders) Their residence 46.2% Your residence 28.8% Senior Living Community 9.6% Assisted Living Community 9.6% Nursing Home 5.8% Other* 9.6% *Other family member If the person does not live with you, how far away from you does the person live? (40 responders) miles 57.5% miles 17.5% miles 2.5% More than 100 miles 22.5% Yes = 21.8% No = 78.2% Does the care recipient have memory impairment, such as Alzheimer’s Disease or another form of dementia? (55 responders)

Yes = 58.2 No = 7.3% Not sure = 34.5% Comments: Unless there’s a fall Finances and time may prohibit As Dementia advances, may need full-time professional care I will always be there for my mother... Whatever it takes. I’ll be there Family member does not fall under FMLA If I keep my strength and stamina I can only provide phone support due to distance Do you think you will be able to continue providing care for the individual as long as it is necessary ? (55 responders)

Other activities: Phone call interaction (about 1-2 hrs per week) Monitoring his breathing/wakefulness to guard against injury from falls, burns, broken glass, etc. 12+ hrs visits (2-3 hrs per week) Companionship (55 responders) In a typical week, how many hours of care of each activity do you provide?

< 5 hours per week 67.3% 5–10 hours per week 18.4% 10–20 hours per week 14.3% In a typical week, during work hours, approximately how much time do you spend on your caregiving responsibilities? (phone calls, setting appointments, transportation, etc.) (49 responders)

Other: Turn down work-related travel Turn down a promotion Consider changing employer Consider leaving work entirely

If you missed work due to caregiving, which of the following have you used to fulfill caregiving responsibilities? (41 responders) No missed work due to caregiving 26.8% Sick leave 9.8% Flexible hours 12.2% Vacation 26.8% Personal time 58.5% Work from home 4.9% Time off without pay 2.4% FMLA 4%

Yes 14.9% No 85.1% If yes, please provide example(s) Only when he get's sick and you can see that he is going to wind up in the hospital. Employer is very understanding and provides more than adequate PTO allowing me to assist my family without worrying about my job. Some what The people I provide limited care for live quite a way from where I live and work. So, the hours I can contact the on-site providers is during the work day hours. Making it difficult to concentrate on work arrange calls to come during break times or lunch etc. I am exhausted, and no longer can take personal vacations. In 2009, I used 14 vacation days to take care of my mother in some fashion. It effects many of the decisions that you make regarding many aspects of ones job. Overall, has providing or arranging care for the individual you are caring for made your current employment more difficult? (47 responders)

When was the last time you were able to take a vacation that allowed you time away from your caregiving responsibilities? (48 responders) Less than 6 months ago 35.4% Between 6 – 12 months ago 22.9% Between years ago 22.9% More than 2 years ago 18.8% How would you rate your own health/personal wellbeing? (51 responders) Excellent 17.6% Good 62.7% Fair 19.6% Poor 0.0%

Other: Communicating with your supervisor and work colleagues about your family caregiving situation Juggling work and caregiving Personal care skills such as bathing, transferring, and feeding Dealing with loss and grief Understanding how your relationships change throughout the caregiver journey (33 responders)

Other: Online (38 responders)