Tag Archives for NAC

Assistance to Employee Caregivers Good for Everyone’s Bottom Line

Published in Woonsocket Call on June 11, 2017

Days ago, AARP and the Respect a Caregiver’s Time Coalition (ReACT) released a report detailing innovative practices and policies of 14 organizations to support their employees with caregiver responsibilities. With the graying of America, supporting caregiver employees should be considered “a potentially new weapon” to attract or retain talented employees, say the researchers, by flexible work arrangements and paid leave policies. And there will be a need for this support.

It is estimated that of the 40 million unpaid family caregivers in the U.S., 60 percent are employed. According to the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and AARP Public Policy Institute, nearly 25 percent of all family caregivers are millennials, and 50 percent are under the age of 50. This means that the growing number of family caregivers in the workforce is an issue that all employers will face. The NAC/AARP research also revealed that 61 percent of working caregivers must make workplace accommodations including modifying hours, taking a leave of absence, choosing early retirement or turning down a promotion.

Report Cites Best Practices to Support Employee Caregivers

The 14 case studies in the new report, “Supporting Working Caregivers: Case Studies of Promising Practices,” include well-known organizations from both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, and both large and small employers. They represent a broad set of industries, including financial services, health care, higher education, home care, management consulting, media, and technology.

There is “no one size fit all” solution to meeting the needs of employee caregivers, say the researchers. But, even with the diversity of the 14 participating organizations “there is clear evidence of promising practices” identified through these interviews, they note.

Researchers gleaned best practices from 14 nonprofits and for profits (from very large employers with over 200,000 workers to ones with less than 200 workers), detailing in the report released on June 8, 2017, how these organizations assist their caregiver employees. These companies provide a broad array of information resources and referrals, flexible work arrangements, paid time off for caregiving, emergency backup care, and, in some cases, high-touch counseling and care management advice.

“Family caregivers juggle their loved one’s needs with their own personal and professional goals every day. AARP hopes this report will encourage more employers understand caregiving and support their employees’ success,” said Nancy LeaMond, executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer in a statement. AARP sponsored the 49-page report.

According to researchers, interviews with business and human resources executives from the profiled organizations indicated that time and flexibility are what matter most to employees when it comes to balancing work and caregiving. Close to half of the employers interviewed provide paid time off for caregiving as well as emergency backup care and flexible work arrangements.

All offer employee caregivers a combination of information resources, referral services and advice by phone. Most provide resources online, typically through an employee assistance program (EAP) or an intranet portal. More than half offer phone consultations or 24/7 expert hotlines. Several interviewees stressed the value of providing on-site, independent eldercare consultants, noting that employees appreciate both the convenience and the respect for their privacy.

“ReACT represents a cross-sector employer effort to raise awareness of and spur action to meet the challenges millions face every day while taking care of an older loved one,” said Drew Holzapfel, convener of ReACT, in a statement. “It’s exciting to see how leading organizations are showcasing the value of employee caregivers’ dual roles at home and in the office.”

Organizations Give Thumbs Up to Assisting Employee Caregivers

Interviewees at the participating organizations were not shy in explaining the importance of offering caregiver assistance to employees.

Michelle Stone, Fannie Mae’s Work-Life Benefits Senior Program Manager, says, “We have been asked, ‘How can you afford to do this?’ Our response is, ‘How can we afford not to?’ The program helps our company and our employees save time and money, and the return on investment is substantial.”

Michelle Martin, Vice President, Human Resources Specialty Services, CBS Corporation, states, “Our hope is to fill the gaps in support along the continuum of care so that employees not only have what they need to care, but also the peace of mind to do so without worrying about their job.”

“At Allianz Life, we like to say, ‘we’ve been keeping promises to our employees and customers since our founding.’ Nothing matters more than our employees and we work every day to provide them with benefits that allow for work-life balance and peace of mind,” says Suzanne Dowd Zeller, Chief Human Resources Officer.

Adds Audrey Adelson, manager of work-life, Emory University, “Our program is based on a continuum of care model, designed to support not only entrenched caregivers, but also those who anticipate becoming a caregiver and those whose caregiving responsibilities have ended and are beginning to move beyond caregiving.”

AARP Rhode Island Champions Caregiving Temporary Disability Insurance

Most employers recognize that some of their best workers are not at their best when they are caregivers in crisis for feeling the onset of burnout,” AARP Rhode Island State Director Kathleen noted. “One of the reasons is that most employers and their human resources managers respond to the needs of caregivers is because they are not far removed from caregiving if not caregivers themselves. They know that caregiving responsibilities sometimes must take precedence over work. And they understand that what is good for the caregiver is also good for their business.

“In Rhode Island, caregiving temporary disability insurance – legislation championed by AARP – gives caregivers paid leave to attend to caregiving tasks or as respite when a break from work benefits all concerned. Employers should assess their policies and give thought to the importance of supporting their caregiving employees’ success. This is true of businesses large and small and non-profits as well. These bosses can start by simply asking themselves what their expectations would be if they were an employee.”

Rhode Island CEOs might consider obtaining a copy of this report, passing the document to Human Resources for review and ultimate implement of eldercare policies. Stressed employee caregivers will appreciate any assistance they can get to help them in their caregiving responsibilities. But, this makes good business sense, too. Assisting employee caregivers will increase employee productivity, improving the company’s bottom line.

To read the full report, go to:

Click to access AARP-ReAct-MASTER-web.pdf

Study Finds Caregiving Becomes Second Job for Many

Published in Pawtucket times on April 12, 2004

The demands of caregiving can seem like a 36-hour workday, Alzheimer’s researchers Nancy Mace and Dr., Peter Rabins tell us.

So true. A new study compiled by the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and the AARP that was released last week supports the researcher’s views – that caregiving can consume one’s life, often becoming a second job for many.

According to the 138-page report, entitled, “Caregiving in America,’ more Americans are now holding “second jobs” – functioning as the family caregiver.

The national caregiver survey, which was funded by MetLife Foundation, estimates there are 44.4 million adult caregivers who provide unpaid care to another adult. This care ranges from helping another manage finances, shopping for groceries, doing housework, and assisting others getting in and out of beds or chairs, getting dressed, getting to and from the toilet, bathing, showering and eating.

The study found unpaid care- provided by family caregivers – totaled $257 billion annually. Quite a sum.

Tshe caregiver study, released on April 6, paints a picture of the typical caregiver – 46 years old, married, has some college experience, and provides care to a woman age 50 and older.  The caregiver’s recipient is most likely an older female who is widowed.

The findings are based on a national survey of 6,139 adults, 1,247 of whom are qualified as caregivers. The margin of error for a sample this size is 2.8 percent, at a 95 percent level of confidence.

Almost six in 10, or 59 percent, of these caregivers either work or have worked while providing care, the study found. Moreover, 62 percent have had to make some adjustments to their jobs, from arriving late to work to giving up a job entirely.

Caregiving does not only impact the personal and working life of women, the study says, but it impacts men, too. Almost four in ten (39 percent) caregivers are men, and 60 percent of these individuals are working full-time.

In a written statement announcing the release of this study, the release of this study, Gail Hunt, NAC’s executive director, noted that the study found caregivers need more information and education. “Two-thirds of caregiver respondents says they need help or information on at least one of 14 activities or issues that caregivers commonly face,” she said.

The study’s findings indicate that three in 10 caregivers carry the heaviest load and are most likely to report physical strain, emotional stress and financial hardship as a result of their caregiving responsibilities, compared to caregivers who provide fewer hours of care and perform fewer  demanding tasks.

In addition, the study found caregivers who provide higher levels of care (most likely women) may find their responsibilities complicated by the fact they tend to be older and more likely to say their health is only “fair,” compared to younger caregivers.

Nearly eight in 10 people who need care are age 50 or older (79 percent), the study found. Caregivers say these older care recipients are afflicted with age-related health problems (15 percent), specifically heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s or other mental confusion ailments.

But younger recipients (ages 18-49) of caregiving often face problems of mental illness and depression (23 percent), the study added.

Caregiving may consume a person’s later years.

The study found the average length of caregiving provided is 4.3 years; however, three in 10 caregivers report providing care for more than five years.

Older caregivers (ages 50 and older), who tend to be caring for their mothers and grandmothers, are among the most likely to have provided care for 20 years or more. The survey found 17 percent of caregivers between the ages of 50-64 years and 18 percent of those over 65 have been providing care for more than a decade.

“I think people who are dealing with caregiving are unaware that many of their coworkers are dealing with the same thing,” AARP Board Member Jennie Chin Hansen claimed in the written statement. “This report shows just how common this  is,” she says.

Like the caregiver respondents of NAC/AARP’s caregiver study, tens of thousands of Ocean State caregivers juggle the demands of taking care of an older relative while taking care of their family and working a job. The study’s findings are just another reason why Gov. Doanld Carcieri and state lawmakers must adequately fund the Department of Elderly Affair’s (DEA) copay program and respite programs.

DEA’s co-pay program assists 1,500 frail seniors who do not qualify for the state’s Medicaid program, to partially pay for the services or certified nursing assistants (CNAs) to assist with bathing, meals, shopping, laundry and light housekeeping. In addition, DEA’s co-pay program also provides subsidies for adult day care.

Last October, DEA’s freeze on new admissions to its co-pay program left more than 200 frail seniors  on a waiting list for home and community-based services. Although Carcieri has increased funding for DEA’s co-pay program by $ 200,000 in his 2005 budget, senior groups say this amount is still not enough. The governor’s increase in his budget is estimated to only serve 60 to 80 out of the 200 seniors currently on this waiting list.

DEA’s freeze on new admissions to its respite program, which enables caregivers to take a break from the grueling demands of taking care of frail family members, may adversely impact the health and wellbeing of caregivers who can’t take advantage of this program.

The freeze placed on the respite care program will continue for the rest of this fiscal year- nobody is sure how long the freeze for this initiative will last.

In years to come, we will see a growing number of Rhode Islanders  taking on the role of unpaid caregivers (a second job) to keep a frail family member at home. Lack of access to community-based services and to caregivers oftentimes will lead to placement in  a costly nursing home.

From a budgetary stance, Carcieri and state lawmakers may well want to adequately fund DEA’s co-pay and respite program because of the ultimate cost savings to the state budget. On the other hand, supporting a policy that assists caregivers to keep seniors independent and in their homes is simply the right thing to do.