Family traditions are changing. Relationships shift as caregivers become more like the parent as their aging parents require more care. Sharing stories around the family table of past holiday seasons bring tears to everyone’s eyes.
The family now has three problems to solve.
- The younger, employed family members face the stress of being a family caregiver.
- Plus, they need to maintain stability of their income and career.
- And they need to make sure the aging family member receives the care they need and deserve.
Many families this holiday season will enter into new discussions about what they can do to make a difference in their own situation and for their team members if they are decision-makers at work.
Organizations face a startling statistic.
The Washington Post reports that caregiver demands are now the number two reason after retirement why someone exits the workforce. If 80% of caregivers have a paid job, what can we do to help our people manage this juggling act? Most caregivers are already at their wit’s end.
After struggling to understand the problems, the families and executives alike are considering what the future will being and what they need to do next to bring care management to work.
They talk about ways to equip managers with the skills and resources to actively support people in the care and work collision. Ultimately, everyone wants to do everything possible to reduce the exhaustion and unfair burdens permeating families and businesses.
How Organizations Impact the Caregiving Crisis
It’s time for business leaders to say, “Enough! My employees are not free healthcare workers! Instead, they need to be caring family members.”
“It’s not okay to accept national employee burnout as a natural state of being. We cannot allow business investments in attracting and developing teams to be lost or redeployed. Our baby boomer generation and people with disabilities deserve better.” ~Jeannette Galvanek, Founder and CEO, CareWise Solutions
Address the needs of employees at all levels immediately – 80% of caregivers do not have access to benefits.
A small 2021 survey by caregiving coordination technology platform Homethrive suggested that nearly 80% of caregivers did not have access to caregiver support benefits at their workplaces. Nearly two-thirds of employees believe their employer should offer caregiving coordination benefits, and 85% would use it if they did. More than half of employees would change jobs to have access to such benefits, especially various options.
Here are the ideas curated from executive brainstorming sessions.
- Create additional acceptance in the workplace of the caregiving crisis and its impact on everyone.
- Provide benefits and resources that help caregivers make better choices, which can include backup care assistance, consultations, and resources. Add a non-medical concierge service that encompasses all types of “life services” (like help with booking travel, pet care, household repairs, moving services, and more!) to help manage their busy lives.
- Connect caregivers to resources and think of the entire family as the caregiving unit — a group of individuals who need help. Offering counseling for the spouse of a dementia patient can help reduce depression, for example.
- Build communication channels within the organization and send the message, “It’s okay to ask for help and support.”
- Pay attention to the disparate impact of caregiving on lower wage earners and people of color (BIPOC). This goes beyond diversity into Equity principles, including the right to work and have family responsibilities in America.
- Conduct an anonymous survey to determine the number of caregivers and the extent of the issue in the organization.
- Invest in the ability of employees to manage immediate short-term issues and continue to implement longer-term solutions because this is the beginning of a major shift in workplace culture.
- Offer a complete solution, such as the Caring Place HUB with MyLife Concierge and CareWise Solutions education and training as a part of the fabric of the business, going beyond the current wellness program and EAP.
Employers and Employees Have Rights
Employees have the right to care about, not for their aging family members in healthcare-type roles. Employers have the right to maintain their workforce.
Americans, employers and employees alike, are asking why there isn’t a driven, directed leadership effort to put the home and community care professionals needed in place. The nation wants to know where the necessary changes in employee benefits and private insurance policies are. ~Jeannette Galvanek, Founder and CEO, CareWise Solutions
Employees are additionally burdened by picking up out-of-pocket expenses of over $7,000 a year for each aging family member.
At CareWise Solutions, we ask for significantly increased capabilities of all healthcare workers and care economy employees to raise awareness of the work and care collision.
It’s time to change the assignments given to family caregivers in all circumstances. This includes transitions from healthcare to home providing adequate support when a patient has a working caregiver or doesn’t have one at all.
The National Caregiving Crisis
The caregiving crisis is now accepted as a national, even global, issue. Conferences and summits discuss the issues for days at a time. Everyone must come together to create the highest-level policy changes that could truly impact the lives of family caregivers, their employers, and their aging family members.
But it hasn’t happened yet.
In the meantime, CareWise Solutions offers the only comprehensive solution for employees and employers to move forward, take charge, and feel empowered to competently manage the care system we all need.
The Next Steps
If you are a caregiver for an aging loved one and need support, you can get a FREE 5-day trial of the Caring Place HUB HERE. Then, talk to your employer about implementing the HUB and MyLife Concierge for everyone at your company.
When your organization is ready to take the next steps toward building a comprehensive solution for the caregiving crisis, contact us or email us at info@carewisesolutions.org.
