As if there were not enough deadlines
to meet in a week, many workers find
themselves in a three-way juggling contest with home, work and, increasingly,
aging parents.
A survey by the National Alliance for
Caregiving (NAC) and the American
Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
found that in 1997, 22.4 million American
households provided care for someone age
50 or older. Furthermore, 64 percent of
those caregivers were employed. Many
struggled to balance jobs and personal
responsibilities. These numbers have
grown — and will continue to grow — as
77 million baby boomers reach retirement
age.
Smart Business spoke to Karen L.
Talbott, president of Visiting Nurse Service
and Affiliates, a member of the Akron
General Health System, for some tips on
handling the demands.
How do aging trends and caregiving responsibilities affect businesses?
The impact is significant, both in terms of
personal stress and business costs. MetLife
and the NAC found that workers with care-giving responsibilities often need to alter
work schedules, come in late, leave early,
or miss work altogether for relatives’
appointments or to deal with sudden
crises. Furthermore, caregivers spend
more time making and receiving personal
calls. Their productivity is compromised
by the significant personal and financial
stress they experience.
When some workers need to quit their
jobs for these reasons, employers incur the
costs of recruiting and training a new
employee. The study estimated these combined costs to exceed $11 billion per year.
What can employers do?
Employers can investigate services available in the community and provide information to employees through printed materials, seminars or individual counseling.
They can encourage employees to develop
contingency plans for older relatives, and
provide employee assistance programs
(EAP), which assess options and help to
manage personal and financial stress.
They can consider changes to work policies and benefits to include job sharing,
part-time status, flexible work hours, time off work without pay and long-term care
insurance, and may offer a dependent care
flexible spending account.
How can a caregiver prepare to make good
decisions?
Understand the options and plan ahead.
There are many levels of caregiving. It is
important to understand each of them and
to have a plan. Some individuals need minimal assistance and can live alone in their
homes. Others need total care and must
move into an extended care facility. It is
usually more time-consuming and more
expensive to respond to a crisis than to
have studied and selected options in
advance.
When is it time to intervene with an aging
relative?
Signs indicating the need for an intervention include increasing confusion and forgetfulness, deterioration in personal appearance and hygiene, not taking medications as prescribed, poor judgment when
driving, susceptibility to con artists or
scams, or increasing difficulty with the
activities of daily living. Another sign is
inability or unwillingness to engage in
social activities or enjoy hobbies.
What services are available to help a care-giver?
A home assessment is a great place to
start. A program like Visiting Nurse Service
and Affiliates can help elderly persons stay
safe and remain independent in their
homes. High on our list of priorities is to
help individuals avoid falls and properly
take prescribed medications, since a fall or
medication error can often lead to hospitalization or a move to a nursing home.
A licensed staff can visit the person’s
home and do a complete assessment. If the
person is having a balance problem or is
unstable, grab bars or improved lighting
may be installed. The staff can assess for
kitchen, fire and electrical safety. If the person is living alone, it may be a good idea to
have a medical alert device. Telehealth
units at home are also now an option.
Personal care aides can help patients
bathe, dress, run errands, get to medical
appointments, purchase groceries or do
other tasks that require assistance.
A few hours assistance per day or week
can relieve a lot of pressure and stress
from primary caregivers and help them to
be more productive at work.
Who pays for these services?
Each case is based on the individual’s
needs and circumstances. Most elderly
patients have Medicare or Medicaid benefits. Visiting Nurse Service and Affiliates
also works with other agencies that provide funding for home services, like
Passport, the Veteran’s Administration and
private long-term-care insurance plans.
Some individuals with life-threatening illnesses can access medical benefits available for hospice patients. Some services
are private pay.
We work with families to help them
understand their options, benefits and
choices. We also do on-site informational
sessions for employers to offer to their
employees.
KAREN L. TALBOTT is president of Visiting Nurse Service and
Affiliates (VNSA), headquartered in Akron. She is vice chair of
work force development for the board of the Greater Akron
Chamber and board chair of Summit Workforce Solutions. She
received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Kent State
University and is a graduate of Leadership Akron. Reach VNSA at
(800) 362-0031 or www.vnsa.com.