How do EAP’s develop an effective workplace response to caregiver stress, at a time when corporate budgets are growing tighter and employee health benefits are increasing at a double-digit rate? To offer employers an integrated service product that covers the mental health, resource, informational, and service needs of employees. EAP’s should explore the potential of working jointly with a network of professionals who can offer their eldercare expertise in a cost effective manner. Such an arrangement adds a powerful new capacity to respond to a workplace crisis and relieves the employer of the confusion and frustration of retaining multiple providers to respond to employee work/life needs.
Once a luxury that only large national corporations could afford, elder care benefits programs now come in a variety of formats with services as simple as toll free call centers and web sites with information about local eldercare program. Employees also have access to a growing list of services, discounts, and even assistance by experienced professional geriatric specialists. Several private “work/life” companies, originally established to provide child care services now offer a selection of eldercare benefits. A more cost effective alternative is emerging, developed by consortiums of eldercare providers nationwide.
AFFILIATIONS AND JOINT VENTURES ALLOW AFFORDABLE EXPANSION OF SERVICES TO AN AGING WORKFORCE
Joint ventures between EAP’s and both for-profit, and non- profit eldercare specialists, reduce overhead and development costs, while keeping the EAP as the coordinator of a broader range of critical responses to workplace stress. Cost sharing models allow sponsoring companies or organizations to pay a modest monthly fee per employee/member to help their employees and to minimize the lost productivity and profits that are the side effects of caregiver stress. Integrating such voluntary benefits as employee endorsed long term care insurance can further reduce the costs of eldercare services to employees and their families.
Because of their strong focus and expertise in behavioral health issues, many EAP’s have chosen to leave the problems of working and long distance caregivers to “work/life” specialists, who offer a more broad based social service response to both child and elder care needs.
Since many EAP professionals are trained primarily as psychotherapists, they often lack the functional expertise or training in issues of aging, caregiving, and the related physical, emotional and support services required. Partnering with a network of eldercare specialists such as geriatric care managers can support their EAP professional and their clients in understanding complex caregiving situations. This additional expertise and extensive data base of resources can also provide validation and emotional support, assist in the development of a plan, locate community resources, and provide information and education for the working caregiver.
DEVELOPING A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN EmployerS, EAP’S AND ELDERCARE PROVIDERS
Many caregivers wait until a crisis arrives before taking the initiative to plan for their older adult’s needs. By waiting until the time of a crisis, caregivers place themselves in a situation where information and resources must be located immediately, and a response to the crisis is urgent. Critical decisions must be made, but information may be inadequate, the caregiver’s thinking may be clouded, and emotions may run high.
Elder care issues begin long before a crisis arrives. With the added expertise and resources that a partnership with elder care professionals provides, EAP’s can help workers think about eldercare now, and think through the inevitable issues before they happen. Adult children for example, should be talking with aging parents and relatives about sensitive issues like finances, health care proxies, living wills, and community resources while they’re healthy. The more they know about the limitations of their existing insurance coverage, and the true costs of eldercare, the more likely they will be to consider obtaining private long term care insurance coverage while they can still afford it and can meet the underwriting requirements.
Adult children often need help to broach those subjects. HR, benefits, wellness, EAP, and work-life providers can all can share responsibility for the eldercare initiative, and develop a coordinated educational program to publicize these issues. Employees who are educated about the issues involved in caregiving, including emotional, financial, legal, and day-to-day caregiving issues, in advance of the need, and are helped to plan ahead will be armed with information and resources when they need it. Employees who are aware of the assistance that is available to them through their integrated service will save time and frustration by not trying to locate and access resources on their own.
They will know to call for assistance early in the process, and will be provided with the support, information and resources they need to meet their elder’s needs. They will be able to put a plan into action with the help of their elder care professional. Employers will benefit from the employee’s preparedness, and from the time and energy saved by the employee’s direct access to an experienced professional.
LONG TERM CARE INSURANCE AS A VOLUNTARY BENEFIT
Providing long term care insurance as a voluntary, employee paid, benefit is also growing in popularity because employees and their extended family members are eligible for substantial discounts through the power of group purchasing.
While private long term care insurance has been available for nearly 20 years, healthy elders and baby boomers are just beginning to consider the importance of owning this coverage. Thus far, estimates are that less than 10% of Middle aged and older adults have yet to purchase a long term care policy.
Those that have are pleased with their coverage according to surveys. The ACLI study reported,” We found that about half of long-term care policyholders currently receiving benefits report they would have to move to a nursing home without their insurance benefits. And more than 70 percent report that their long-term care insurance policy pays all of the costs of the services they need. And that goes a long way toward reducing the financial and emotional burden on family caregivers."
Robert E. O’Toole, LICSW, is President of Informed Eldercare Decisions, Inc., a private company specializing in elder life planning. A founding member of a national network of social work and health care professionals known as the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers, he is a former editor of the Geriatric Care Management Journal.
Prior to founding Informed Eldercare Decisions, Inc. Bob worked for 10 years as a senior administrator in the Massachusetts Home Care System and for one of the leading private long term care consulting firms.
Bob has contributed chapters to two books on elder care and geriatric care management issues to be published in 2000, and has written numerous articles on the delivery of elder care in the private marketplace. His articles have appeared in Geriatric Care Management Journal, Health Insurance Underwriter and Inside Case Management. His E-mail address is Bob@elderlifeplanning.com. |
