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A balancing act: Work and elder caregiving responsibilities

The population is aging and HR professionals have seen an increase in the number of employees dealing with elder care concerns over the past several years, according to a 2003 Elder Care Survey by the Society for Human Resource Management. A recent study by AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) found that 44.4 million Americans over the age of 18 are providing unpaid care to an adult. And almost 60 percent of these caregivers either work or have worked while caring for an older relative.

Caregiving affects the entire working population, not just women, as was once primarily the case. The NAC study found that four in 10 caregivers are men, and 60 percent of them work full time. "Cultural values and norms do affect the 'scripts' we follow as sons and daughters and caregivers," says Roberta Satow, Ph.D., author of Doing the Right Thing: Taking Care of Your Elderly Parents Even If They Didn't Take Care Of You. Satow, an expert on cross-cultural caregiving issues, states that "While it is true that the dominant American script for caregiving is that a daughter is supposed to take primary responsibility for caring for elderly parents, if there is no daughter, a son may end up being the caregiver -- particularly if he is an only child or if he is Hispanic or Italian." She has found that Latin-American, Italian-American, and Caribbean-American daughters and sons tend to reject the idea of nursing homes and often feel they should take care of their parents themselves.

Caring for an older or dependent relative can be rewarding and often brings families closer together. But it can also be a time-consuming and draining job, both physically and emotionally. Research from the NAC's National Caregiver Survey has shown that some caregivers must quit their jobs to give care, while others are less productive at work, or feel forced to forgo career opportunities.

"The responsibilities of caregiving can create long-term problems in the workplace," says Gail Gibson Hunt, president and CEO of NAC. These responsibilities are costly both for employers and employees. American businesses lose between $11 billion and $29 billion each year due to employees' need to care for loved ones 50 years of age and older, according to a study by NAC and Met Life.

What can employers do to help employees create a healthy balance between work and caregiving responsibilities?

Offer flexibility in the workplace. Employees who are caring for one, or more than one older family member, as is often the case, say the number one workplace support they need is flexibility -- both in where and when the work gets done," says Diane Piktialis, Ceridian Work-Life product director. "Caregiving is fraught with unplanned events: the home health aide calls in sick, a father needs day surgery, a mother falls and breaks a hip. Having some give in one's work demands can mean the difference between retaining valuable employees and losing them to personal and family demands."

Offer support with elder care and dependent care issues. Caregiving exacts a heavy physical, emotional and financial toll on employees and their families. Many caregivers experience feelings of stress, depression and anxiety, as well as financial worries. They may need help finding services and support for an older relative, coping with family dynamics, sorting through legal or financial issues, or help with long-distance caregiving.

Make sure employees are aware of the resources available through Ceridian's LifeWorks Services to help with elder and dependent care concerns. Extensive resources are available to employees, including telephone counseling, online resources and a wealth of educational materials.

To learn more about Ceridian's EAP and Work-Life Services, contact your Ceridian representative.