The Juggling Act: Work & Caregiving And What Businesses Should Do… Lizbeth A. Kalina, RN, MMHS Professional Geriatric Care Management Services Elder Care Connections, Inc

The Juggling Act: Work & Caregiving 44.4 million family caregivers in the U.S. 27 million workers are family caregivers

Awareness This presentation will: Address the scale and the scope of family caregiving Discuss the impact of caregiving on your employees and the organization itself Include tools to use when assisting employees with elder care responsibilities

Definition   Caregiving = providing unpaid assistance for the physical and emotional needs of another person over the age of 18.

Interesting Caregiving Statistics 75% of women between ages of 45 and 60 work 49% working caregivers are men Family members provide more than 80% of in-home-care for their frail parents.

The Impact of Family Caregiving on Productivity Workday interruptions Absenteeism Presenteeism Supervisor interruptions Decreased work hours Taking leaves of absence, going part-time, quitting, or retiring Recruitment, retention/training issues

Employer costs related to caregiving The Bottom Line Employer costs related to caregiving $6.6 billion Cost to business to replace 2.4% of employees who leave the workforce entirely to be caregivers $5.0 billion Absenteeism $2.0 billion Partial absenteeism $6.3 billion Workday interruptions $3.8 billion Crises during the workday $1.8 billion Supervision $3.4 billion Unpaid leave $4.8 billion Reduction from full to part-time  

Direct Costs Average caregiver costs an employer $2,110 per year. Conservative total annual cost to employers nationwide for all caregivers is $33 billion. 1/3 of all adults in the U.S. under 50 have a chronic illness or disability making real cost of caregiving to employers nationwide closer to $90 billion.  

Soft Costs But there’s a way to alleviate the impact to your business… Lower work performance Lower physical well-being Lower levels of satisfaction at home and at work But there’s a way to alleviate the impact to your business…

Value of Caregiving or Eldercare Program to your business   $3 to $14 return on every $1 spent on eldercare Lower workforce turnover/retention of trained staff Employee loyalty/commitment to the company Reduction of health care costs Increased productivity Reduction in absenteeism

What Businesses Can Do To Help the Caregiving Employee Flexible work hours PTO, vacation, sick days, Personal leaves FMLA provisions EAP services/Mental health counseling Be cognizant of other legal aspects of caregiving, such as ADEA, ADA, etc. Lunchtime or Brown Bag Seminars Elder Care Benefits In-house caregiver support groups Professional Geriatric Care Manager Partnership Provide Information about federal, state, and local resources to fill gaps where company programs stop such as: local Elder daycare programs In-home caregiving services Community social services Helpful Internet sites or resource centers  

Training the Front-Line Supervisor Professional seminars In-house training program Professional Geriatric Care Manager Partnership

How to Get Started Establish a corporate policy for working caregivers Act as a local eldercare resource Make available fact sheets, checklists and guides Open dialogue with employee about their needs; find ways to minimize impact to business Be flexible – with work hours, provide time to make calls  

Locally owned licensed personal services agency. Resource for seniors and their families for 15 yrs. Assist seniors in their efforts to gain optimal independence and live purposeful lives. Provide information, guidance and support to families experiencing changing roles, and challenges that accompany aging. Partner with businesses to develop and provide eldercare programs Professional Geriatric Care Management Services Elder Care Connections, Inc