~ Working Caregivers ~
and Employee Assistance Programs

Working caregivers of elderly family members are the most in need and the most difficult to reach segment of the caregiver population. Studies show that working caregivers have more burdens and fewer opportunities to obtain personal, face-to-face counseling and locally specific resources than caregivers who are not employed.

Working caregivers have little or no time to learn about available resources and look to the Internet, friends, family and their doctors when they do seek information.  In a national study conducted by the Met Life Foundation and AARP, more than two-thirds of surveyed caregivers say they need help with or information about many issues they commonly face.

The impact on companies whose employees are challenged with elder caregiving responsibilities is enormous and growing at a rapid pace.  Workplace adjustments such as replacing employees, absenteeism, workday interruptions, unpaid leave, eldercare crisis, and going from full-time to part-time cost employers an average of $2,441 per employee, per year. 

We offer working caregivers and companies two valuable and much-needed workplace services:

Lunch and Learn Seminars

In a comprehensive and compact manner, we provide information and referral for services to caregivers on a variety of aging and caregiving topics.  Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) that are part of benefits packages offered by many employers often have no locally specific resources to tell employees about.  Our Lunch and Learn Seminars fill in the gaps by linking employees to the services in their cities and neighborhoods that will give them and their loved ones the help they need.

Our Lunch and Learn Seminars address many of the complex and time-consuming questions that can challenge family caregivers and result in absenteeism, workday interruptions, and employee turnover. 

Because elder caregiving presents challenges on multiple topics, we design a series of Lunch and Learn Seminars that cover 3-5 topics per session.  In providing solutions to these eldercare challenges, our Lunch and Learn Seminars will give your employees handouts with specific problem-solving tools and the links to community resources they will use for assistance with their elder care needs.

On-Site Consultations

Employee Assistance Programs initially appeared in corporate life as worksite, in-person counseling and follow-up monitoring for employees who were referred for substance abuse problems that resulted in absenteeism or other work-related management problems. 

Now in a fourth-generation type of program, EAP’s have shifted to a cost containment/capitated managed care model that has been outsourced to one of only a handful EAP companies that combine work/life and employee assistance into a single, primarily telephonic and Internet-based service. These services may be keeping employer costs down, but they have not been effective in reducing the incidence of employee's work-related problems.

Studies in human resources show that EAP’s who have Worksite Counselors engaged in face-to-face counseling and follow-up monitoring are actually utilized 60% more than EAP’s who offer only counseling by phone.  Worksite EAP’s also received 500% more supervisory referrals and identified 300% more employee substance abuse cases.

Employees with depression or substance problems often do not seek out professional help on their own.  Supervisors and HR professionals are more likely to intervene when they meet in person with a Worksite Counselor whose name and face they know from repeated worksite visits, as opposed to calling an 800 number and speaking to a mental health professional who has never set foot at their job.

A 2006 study by the Met Life Market Research Institute and the National Alliance of Caregiving determined that American businesses lose an astounding $17.1 billion in annual lost productivity due to employee caregiving burdens.

Caregiver
Self-Assessment

Caregivers are often so concerned about caring for their relative's needs that they lose sight of their own well being. Take this caregivers Self-Assessment questionnaire.

Lunch & Learn Seminars

Topics Include:

• Long Distance Caregiving
• Family Dynamics in Eldercare
• Getting Organized for Elder Caregiving
• Understanding Medicare and Medicaid
• Getting the Most of Your Prescription Coverage
• Choosing a Medicare Supplement
• Financial Management
• Long Term Care Financial Planning
• Estates, Trusts and other Elder Law Issues
• Advance Directives and Living Wills
• Caring for the Caregiver
• Elder Caregiving and Work
• Community Resources for Eldercare
• Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer's Disease
• Communicating with Healthcare Providers
• Home Safety
• Fall Prevention
• Residential Care Options
• Hiring and Managing In-Home Care Providers
• Nutrition and the Elderly
• Depression in the Elderly
• Substance Abuse in the Elderly