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The core mission  of The New Elder is to develop “Better Ideas for Aging”.  Over the last year, I have written quite a bit about the micro issues of eldercare. We need to develop more dialogue around the thorny macro issues.

Caregiving has a major impact on business in America.

Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias cost America business $61 billion a year. (Yikes!)

Corporate America created employee benefits to help out with employees caregiving problems. 86.1 percent of companies offer EAP (employee assistance programs) elder care counseling. 

(Good for Corporate America!)

BUT

Less than 10 percent of employees use the service.  (Huh?)

YET,

According to the 2009 National Caregiver Survey,”78% of caregivers feel they need more help or information about caregiving topics (up 10% from 2004) and the need for information increased with the age of the recipient and the level of burden.”

Employees want more information and help, but they do not use the corporate resources that are offered.  It is wonderful that businesses create benefits to help their employees with caregiving, but if the benefit is not used, it is not a benefit.  It is just an item on a check list.

 According to the 2009 Caregiver Survey cited above, the portrait of a caregiver is a 48-year-old woman who has a job in the workplace and is also a caregiver.  They average 20.4 hours per week as a caregiver for 4.6 years (on top of holding a job outside the home).  34% care for two or more people. 86% care for a relative. 72% of caregivers take care of someone over fifty years old.

When there are scheduling or emotional conflicts between work life and personal life, employees usually have a reasonable amount of leeway to take care of personal tasks that can only be managed during work hours.  Most conscientious employees will do what has to be done and get back to work.  They will probably put in extra time to make sure their quality of work in not impacted.  Productivity continues unimpeded.

Because we have been working at it longer, we have programs that are embraced by parents with childcare responsibilities. The programs allow parents to work and raise their children as a mainstream activity. I cannot presume to speak about all the challenges of working and managing childcare.  They are enormous. I am not a childcare expert, but I can speak about eldercare and organizational development issues.

Eldercare is not the same as childcare.  While both require sacrifices of caregiver(s), childcare tends to be proactive. The decision to take on the extra hours, expense, and labor of children is usually consciously decided.  The child caregiver is younger.  Organizations can build on what they have learned about the impact of childcare on the workplace, but they need more. An elderly person is an adult, not a large child.  There are a different set of problems, both physically and emotionally.

Onsite Adult Day Care, anyone?

….to be continued in Part 2

If you have a “Better Idea for Aging”, speak up! And while your emailed comments are much appreciated, please put them online so that everyone can benefit from your thoughts.

Photo Credit:  cjanebuy

Copyright TheNewElder 2012