According to a survey conducted by the Families and Work Institute (FWI), more than two in five working Americans are taking care of a sick or aging family member. As the United States becomes a grayer nation, this figure is only expected to increase.
Despite this growth, most employers have been slow to adapt to change. A 2008 FWI study found that very few employees were able access resources that would help them care for aging loved ones. A recently released follow-up study suggests, however, that workplaces are offering better benefits for caregivers.
Key findings include:
- Almost twice the number of employers offer pre-tax eldercare assistance plans. Through these programs, employees can set aside money from each paycheck to pay for expenses related to their loved ones.
- The most common forms of workplace flexibility include more control over taking breaks, taking time off for personal reasons and flex time.
- The number of employers who report that they offer resource or referral help for caregivers increased 10 percent from 2008.
"These findings reveal that both employers and employees can benefit from effective workplaces," the report states. "Employees and employers benefit from having higher quality jobs and workplaces that reduce stress, improve employee reliability and retention, and potentially lower health care costs."
Although the workplace is improving, the report also found that employers still have some major steps to take. For example, just 7 percent of employers offer respite care — the opportunity for a primary caregiver to take some time off while another family member fills in temporarily.
There also seems to be a major divide in what large and small large employers are able to offer when it comes to eldercare. The study found that 64 percent of companies with 1,000 or more employees provide assistance, compared to 37 percent with fewer than 100 workers. The majority of employers of all sizes did report, however, that they do give their employees time off for caregiving duties without putting them in jeopardy of losing their jobs.
Caregivers who have full-time jobs often find themselves struggling to do either of their jobs effectively. Making sure that Mom took her medications or reminding Dad to go to the doctor are seemingly simple tasks that can quickly turn into time-consuming endeavors.
With Independa's Integrated CloudCare solutions and the only eldercare-equipped television, family members can quickly communicate with a care recipient to exchange information or check in with one another. Technological solutions such as this can help an older adult feel safer and reduce the stress on a caregiver.
Are you a working caregiver? Is your employer providing you with what you need to do your job effectively? Come to the Independa Facebook page and tell us your story!
