Faulty Societal Assumption at Core of Caregiver Crisis

The faulty assumption held by most Americans – that families can readily assume caregiving responsibilities for aging family members.

OLDWICK, NJ, USA, September 4, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As more than half of American employees juggle jobs with caring for an aging loved one, they look to the American Rescue Plan for relief. The government plan, while providing some support, simply does not adequately address this pressing labor and caregiver crisis. The program operates under the same faulty assumption held by most Americans. That assumption is that families can readily assume caregiving responsibilities for aging family members.

The American labor movement goes back to the 1880s. During the Industrial Revolution, factory jobs with horrendous working conditions were plentiful. Now, with over half of the workforce caring for aging relatives, we see too many similarities to what sparked labor revolts in the late 1880s. Both periods highlight the challenges workers face in demanding conditions and the need for action and advocacy to protect workers’ rights to improve their quality of life.

Employees spend over 25 hours a week caring for loved ones over an average of 5 ½ years. As a result, employers are left picking up the tab of an estimated $10,900 annually for every caregiver on staff. As employed caregivers become the new workforce majority, companies calculate direct costs simply by multiplying $10,900 by half of the workforce. So, an organization with 5,000 employees could estimate care-related losses at 2,500 X $10,900, or over $ 27 million. Even with losses at a fraction of current estimates, it is no wonder employers frantically seek ways to offset care-related costs.

Partial Solutions Do Not Get to the Root of Caregiver Issues

Employers are working to create an environment and access to resources so workers can better integrate caregiving responsibilities with work obligations. Bombarded with dozens of individual apps and partial solutions, employers report low uptake and implementation levels. Employee caregivers are already pushed to the limit, so adding a learning curve reduces the chances of successful deployment.

Employers are adding helpful but partial solutions to employee benefits packages. Tools like meditation apps, nutritional information for seniors, and telemedicine links save caregiver time if they are readily at hand. Unfortunately, most caregivers leave employer solutions unexplored and unused.

Complete Solution in Employee Benefits Package Sees High Implementation and Returns

The Caring Place HUB app is now available to employers to add to employee benefits packages as a more complete solution. Higher uptake and implementation levels see improved results with lower caregiver stress, less absenteeism, and greater engagement while providing better care for family members.

The Caring Place HUB app improves the reach of care resource access in rural communities, education, virtual care providers, vetted wellness and care management apps, access to legal, life planning, and counseling services, and access to over 200 critical caregiving resources. As a complete solution, the HUB also connects with company HR portals. The platform improves resources for families of aging baby boomers, those with disabilities, and military wounded warriors who share caregiving challenges for a lifetime.

This model makes reasonable assumptions about the Caring Place HUB’s ability to alleviate care-related costs when applied to a company with 500 employees. The average age of staff is 45, 60% are female:
• 26 fewer employees experience significant stress due to caregiving.
• 18 fewer employees experience health loss.
• Healthcare costs reduce $6,429 for caregivers.
• Long-term care costs for the caree reduce by $72,676.
• Based on the average wage nationwide, employers and employees gain 11,161 work hours normally missed due to caregiving, worth $316,302.

Every organization is unique, but the challenges of juggling a job and caregiving are well-established.

Incorporating the Caring Place HUB as an employee benefit promotes work-life integration, addresses mental health, fosters wellness initiatives, saves hours lost, and reduces disability claims and employees leaving the workforce. Embracing these measures enhances corporate responsibility and positions organizations as leaders in the ongoing caregiving crisis.

The challenges of caregiving and employment touch every facet of our lives – our families, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. The Caring Place HUB helps families build independence at home to maintain their jobs, income, and family relationships.

JEANNETTE GALVANEK
CAREWISE SOLUTIONS
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The Caring Place HUB: A caregivers' journey