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Pressures of Eldercare Often Exacerbated
by a Lack of Support in the Workplace
By Maggie Jackson, Globe Correspondent
April 10, 2005
Globe Photo/Zara Tzanev
Employees of Gadsby Hannah LLP attend a lunchtime caregiver support group.
From left are Dottie Moore, Chustine Lilly, and Maryhelen Shuman-Groh.
Too many workers experiencing the stress of eldercare also face an undeserved burden: an inflexible and unsupportive workplace. That's the clear message sent by some of the readers who wrote in during my recent series on the challenges of eldercare.
Pamela Thornton, who cares for her 80-year-old mother in Andover, wrote that she plans to quit her job soon because of the lack of compassion by her employer - an elder services agency. Once, her boss forbade her from making a call to her mother's surgeon while she was on the clock. "More employers need to be supportive and understanding," she wrote.
Susan McLean, who cared for her father until his death in 2003, wrote that her former boss gave lip service to family friendliness while emphasizing face time.
"We had half-days on Fridays in the summer, but I was one of the few who took them, to be with my dad," wrote McLean, a Weymouth public relations executive. "I know that counted against me at layoff time."
Their experiences may not be all that unusual, judging by recent research on the issue. Senior executives ranked "availability of eldercare" last in a list of components of an ideal workplace, according to an online survey of 140 executives nationwide by Boston-based Veritude, a human resources consulting firm. Top-ranked in their view? Corporate culture, training, and salaries.
Those issues are important, but many executives still don't understand that eldercare and other work-family concerns are bottom-line matters, too.
Flexible work is linked to higher productivity and commitment, according to the Boston College Center for Work & Family. Work-life benefits boost retention, research shows. With one in three employees taking on eldercare responsibilities and the population rapidly aging, the costs of employer inflexibility will mount.
Support for working caregivers needn't be pricey. Alternative work arrangements are often low cost, and even a small or midsize company can help tap community eldercare services. Every month, about a dozen employees of Boston law firm Gadsby Hannah LLP attend a lunchtime caregiver support group whose facilitator is provided by the state's Family Caregiver Support Program.
"I was shocked to find out how many employees in our firm had this problem," wrote Shelly O'Donnell, the office manager who helped start the group. "It's great for them to hear they're not alone."
More employers are offering a hand. Twenty percent of companies nationwide now offer eldercare resource and referral services, up from 15 percent in 2000. Still, that leaves the majority of caregivers without easy access to such resources.
One place to start is the Family Caregiver Support Program, established nationwide in 2000 under the Older Americans Act, to help caregivers of the elderly and disabled children. For information, call 1-800-AGE-INFO. Under the $5 million Massachusetts program, caregivers can get in-home counseling, help with starting or finding a support group, and even short-term care for a relative so they can take a break. Most services are free, says director Sheila Donahue-King.
Caregivers deserve such help, for they take care of those who raised us and who embody our collected wisdom, strong work ethic, and spirit of independence. And that brings me to readers such as Diane Ross, who was quick to remind me that eldercare is as rewarding as it is draining.
"I always dreaded the day, now I cherish it!" wrote Ross, owner of the Silly Goose toy store in Essex and caregiver for her 81-year-old mother, now in an assisted living facility in Newburyport. "I can't believe the great amount of joy that I get from her and her pals when I visit. I am happy to have her be part of our life."
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