Taking Good Care of Working Caregivers is Taking Good Care of Business

With the first of the baby boomer generation turning 60, the "silver tsunami" is upon us and working caregivers are being faced with the added responsibility of caring for aging parents or other loved ones. What was once referred to as the "sandwich generation", is now becoming the "club sandwich generation." Caregivers today, ages 35-55, are sandwiched between caring for their own families, and assuming the responsibility of caring for aging parents and, in many cases, grandparents or even aunts and uncles.

Balancing all the responsibility has truly become a juggling act. Attending a child's final soccer game versus taking an elderly loved one to a medical appointment has become a stressful decision that tugs at the hearts of caregivers. Coupled with working full time, the reality of the days growing longer as the nights grow shorter becomes increasingly evident.

Although statistics show the burden of care giving still falls on the woman of the household, the number of men in this role is increasing steadily with a 60/40 ratio of female/male caregivers.

The role of assisting an elderly loved one is not a one-time event. It is ongoing and constantly changing as medical, social and financial needs evolve. This added responsibility compounds the stressors of daily life and in many cases a resulting negative change occurs in the complexion of the family. Often, family members are overwhelmed by guilt, confusion and fear, because they made a promise to take care of their parents and many feel the responsibility to provide elder care themselves.

In addition, today's slumping real estate market further exacerbates the need for informal caregivers, as many elderly are forced to remain in their homes. Then suddenly, a health crisis arises and the family is faced with making arrangements without full knowledge of what elder care options are available. Searching for appropriate care and/or services is often a confusing and daunting task. Not knowing which options would be most appropriate for one's individual situation makes it more complicated and frustrating. Furthermore, the "maze" of elder care options available on the internet can often lead to more confusion.

In light of the aging workforce, coupled with a decrease in the available workers needed to replace them, more and more forward thinking employers are offering elder care services to help their workers manage this growing issue. Elder care as a workplace issue is now at the stage where childcare was 20 to 30 years ago. If elder care follows the same trajectory that childcare issues took, employers could find themselves radically restructuring employment benefits policies to accommodate this social change. It is estimated that elder care issues cost the national economy $34 billion annually and this cost is expected to increase at a staggering pace. Realizing the impact that elder care giving responsibilities has on their employees, some forward thinking employers have made elder care services available to their employees as a benefit. Providing greater access and utilization of the right kind of information allows an employee to balance their commitments to career and family while maximizing productivity and enhancing the employee's quality of life.

With elder care giving expected to reach major proportions in the next 10 to 15 years, more employers must start laying the groundwork to ensure that they are taking good care of their business by taking good care of their employees and providing workers with the resources to address elder care needs.