In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, over 54 percent of the workforce will be caring for an elder in 2009. But why should employers be concerned about employees who take care of older relatives?
Quite simply because eldercare issues directly impact the employer's bottom line to the tune of billions each year. A 1999 report by the Metlife Mature Market Institute "estimated that U.S. companies lose $11 billion to $29 billion a year in reduced productivity." A newer report is expected to show losses as even greater.
Eldercare Issues Multi-Faceted
Human resource departments are finding that care giving issues are complicated. There are two distinct sides to the equation.
First, care giving employees are dealing with practical concerns for their loved ones.
- Safety
- Living arrangements
- Medical costs
- Insurance coverage
- Transportation
- Managing appointments with doctors and more
Any one of the issues above may cause an employee to be distracted while on the job, or have excessive absences due to care issues. Then, there's the impact care giving responsibilities have on the employee, such as stress and the resulting negative influences on health and well-being. Employees become overwhelmed with juggling responsibilities at work along with managing the care of a loved one.
"Care givers are usually working and keeping up a house, and they are on-call 24/7 and feeling overwhelmed," said Margaret Chesler, LSW, geriatric specialist, and former vice president of the Alzheimer's Association.
Often, the employee forgets about self-care and neglects important health issues of their own. Poor self-care may lead to unaddressed health problems, fatigue, depression and other well-being concerns, all of which directly impact an employee's productivity while at work.
Employers Looking at Eldercare Issues Differently
While companies have recognized eldercare as a productivity problem, the focus has primarily been on finding resources for the family member, not in addressing the mental and emotional health needs of the employee who is doing the care giving. Fortunately, this is changing.
The Wall Street Journal reported "in the first shift in eldercare benefits in years, a few employers are offering eldercare programs aimed at the health and well-being of the workers themselves. By encouraging workers who also have eldercare duties to take better care of themselves, employers hope not only to raise productivity, but to scale down healthcare costs."
Mental Health and Community Resources
Some Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) have been ahead of the game in this respect, offering eldercare assistance to care givers in terms of community resources aimed toward the needs of the geriatric family member and providing counseling for the health and well-being of the employee.
By offering a comprehensive EAP, employers can assure that care giving employees have access to specialists who can assist with both sides of the eldercare equation, providing mental health support to the care giver along with up-to-date resources and practical information. Employees receive the help they need and employers benefit from the on-task, productive employees they need.
