EMPLOYER ELDER CARE BENEFITS
A growing trend, approximately 40 million Americans between the ages of 40 to 59 are involved in caring for at least one elderly parent. According to a Pew Research study, the majority of caregivers are women, although almost 45% are men, who assist an elderly parent with the daily living tasks. To add to the time challenges and stressors involved in caring for an early relative, AARP research reports that most caregivers have jobs and approximately 70% of those are obliged to “make workplace adjustments,” such as arriving to work late or leaving early.
Unfortunately, according to the 2014 Employee Benefits Survey from the Society for Human Resources Management, only 5% of U.S. employers offer a referral service to employees looking for eldercare resources and less than 1% of U.S. employers offer elder care benefits such as geriatric counseling or emergency eldercare services.
Whether or not your employer is legally obligated to accommodate your conflicting responsibilities of family and work is not a given. While the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) states that employers must keep your job open for your return should you need to take an unpaid leave of absence to deal with family issues, it may not apply in every situation. And sometimes, the time off may be intermittent, rather than continual, meaning, someone may need to take small but frequent “time off”, such as coming in15 minutes later or taking a longer lunch break.
An evolving area of legal protection, 77 million Baby Boomers are heading into old age themselves while still working into their 70s and simultaneously caring for their parents who are in their 90s.
The added stress to working caregivers costs U.S. employers an estimated $17 billion to $34 billion, according to a 2010 report from MetLife due to employees lost productivity, absenteeism and higher medical expenses for the caregivers. Such an expense is something lawmakers and employers, will have to start recognizing.
If your employer doesn’t offer elder care benefits through an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), or if you are not sure if it does, contact your company’s human resources department. Many company’s and supervisors are willing to work out flexible hours with a valued employee rather than loose them. So don’t suffer in silence, there may be more help available than you realize.
If you need additional help determining what type of care is most suitable for yourself or your family member, please contact the knowledgeable staff at California Registry to help you find elder care services or an assisted living facility within California that is customized for your situation.