by Bob O'Toole,
President, Informed Eldercare Decisions, Inc.
Caregiving responsibilities
are proving to be more challenging and stressful than finding child care for working
Americans in the new millennium. The combination of increased longevity, and lower birth
rates in the 70's and eighties has resulted in a new phenomenon of family caregiving. The
average working couple has more living parents than children. In our mobile society they
are more likely to be living far from the aging parent who now needs their help.
The Problem: Part
One - Men and women are living much longer
Fastest growing segment
of our population is people over 85.
At age 65, people can now
expect to live 16-19 years longer.
Today there are 34
million seniors. By 2030 there will be 70 million.
Last year, Social
Security mailed 400,000 checks to people OVER 100 years old.
The Problem: Part
Two - Millions of elderly and no place to put them
Preferred nursing homes
waiting list - 6 to 24 months.
Millions of Americans
live a great distance away from those needing care and are unfamiliar with regional
resources.
There is a severe
shortage of adult, non-geriatric beds.
Over the next 50 years,
individuals available for employment as caregivers will decrease by nearly two-thirds.
The Problem: Part
Three - Care Giver Stress
Caregivers say that their
greatest needs are emotional support.
58% of caregivers show
symptoms of clinical depression.
About 34% of caregivers
say that they get no help from family or friends.
Nearly 1 in 5 caregivers
quit their jobs.
Caregiving is extremely
time intensive and often isolating.
The Problem: Part
Four - Lost Productivity
The annual cost to
employers for lost productivity resulting from elder care is estimated at more than $30
billion.
Caregiving is emotionally
and physically draining and often impacts the quality of an employees work.
Eldercare can increase
employee absenteeism and turnover.
THE SOLUTION: A Low
Cost Response for Employers
By 2005, over 35% of
workers will be MORE concerned about caring for a parent than a child.
The result known as
"Elder Life Planning for Organizations" is an employee benefits program that has
been designed to help employers to address a costly and growing problem.
Using a consortium of
independent nurses, social workers, financial, legal and insurance specialists, and
non-profit family service agencies, a comprehensive package of elder care services can be
offered by employers, trade unions or associations at an affordable cost. Instead of a
"one size fits all" approach, "Elder Life Planning in the Workplace",
can be customized for the unique needs and budget of each employer or sponsor who wishes
to offer the service. (Information available at http://www.elderlifeplanning.com/
or by calling 1-800-375-0595).
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