Health knowledge made personal
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eldercare responsibilities have worked at a paying job at some point during their caregiving experience. An estimated 61 percent of family caregivers of adults age 50 and older are currently employed either full-time (50 percent) or part-time (11 percent). Forty-two percent of U.S. workers have provided care for an aging relative or friend in the past five years. About half (49 percent) of the workforce expects to be providing eldercare in the coming five years. In 2011, 17 percent of workers in the United States provided eldercare. Some 20 percent of all female and16 percent of all male workers in the United States are family caregivers. Nearly one in four (22 percent) middle-aged and older workers (ages 45 to 64)—typically caring for a parent—report being family caregivers: the largest of any age group in the labor force. Workers with eldercare responsibilities cut across all racial and ethnic group. Of course this has implications on the workforce. According to the AARP, flexible workplace policies enhance employee productivity, lower absenteeism, reduce costs, and appear to positively affect profits. They also aid recruitment and retention efforts, allowing employers to retain a talented and knowledgeable workforce and save the money and time that would otherwise have been spent recruiting, interviewing, selecting, and training new employees. In addition to specific eldercare benefits, flexible work options, family leave, and paid sick days are vital policies for working caregivers. These workplace benefits can help working adults balance their work, personal lives, and family caregiving responsibilities. The implications for readers are wide-ranging. Know and understand the resources available in your community before you need them. Reach out for help when you become a caregiver. Advocate for workplace benefits that aid caregivers and most importantly take care of your own health during the process. You will not be a caregiver forever so make sure that when you move out of that role that you still have built a life for yourself. Source:AARP |
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The “average” U.S. caregiver is a 49-year-old woman who works outside the home and spends nearly 20 hours per week—the equivalent of another parttime job—providing unpaid care to her mother for nearly five years.