Heidi turned the ringing alarm off. It was 6:00AM, time to get the kids off to school and then drive to her in-laws to provide care to her 83 years old father in-law (who suffered a stroke 3 years ago) before going to work. Its 6:30pm and Heidi drops off her son at soccer practice and returns for evening care giving. Heidi is a family caregiver, mother, wife (husband serving deployed in the military), daughter in-law, and an employee. Heidi’s work is beginning to suffer as she can’t meet her work deadlines due to care giving challenges.
When Caregiving Becomes A Workplace & Bottom Line Issue
There are approximately 65 million family caregivers in this county facing these kinds of challenges. Recent studies by the AARP policy institute suggest that 50% of the work force is involved in care giving and the economic impact of care giving on US small business is between 29 to 33 billion dollars a year due to the high turnover secondary to employees leaving the work force to care for family members, the cost of absenteeism and workday interruptions, management and administrative cost based on time spent on issues of employed caregivers.
A few larger corporations have invested resources in developing employee assistance programs (EAP) in an effort to support caregivers and retain workers but most EAP programs fall short in the area of elder care. The problem with care giving is that most people become family caregivers by accident so there is not a plan in place for care giving. Where EAPs fail is exactly at the point where employees like Heidi are handed a list of community resources and then the employee spends work hours calling to request information and weeks later ends up more overwhelmed with a table stacked high with brochures and pamphlets full of fragmented pieces of confusing information.
Elements of an effective and cost conscious Elder Care EAP program.
Employees like Heidi need more than a list. They need a practical plan with actionable steps to handle the ever changing needs of those they care for. What is missing is life resource planning, care coordination, transitional care pathways, and the knowledge of how to navigate our fragmented health care system. An effective elder care EAP program requires a work life balance program, employee wellness, life resource planning and a coordinated long term care planning approach from a geriatric care manager or a life resource planner.
For a no obligation assessment of your elder care work place program, to learn how to increase your bottom line through an effective work place elder care program or to support an employee or loved one in their role as a caregiver please call toll free 855-942-9933 or email to Stella@StellaNsong.com
