ElderLife Matters For Caregivers and Employers

Linda LaPointe

Work & eldercare is a difficult marriage for the half of all employees who are caring for an aging loved one. You may know the facts:

• The cost of absenteeism, shortened or interrupted work days is $29 billion a year.
• The cost of replacing employees who leave due to eldercare responsibilities is $4.93 billion a year.
• Many spend up to 8 hours per week on the phone with eldercare issues, come in late & take more time off.
• One half of employees care for dependent adults.
• Three fourths of elder caregivers are in the workforce.
• One third of caregivers acknowledge their eldercare responsibilities interfere with work.

These issues not only concern the employer, they also greatly concern the employee who wants to do a good job. Yet most caregivers don’t know what kind of help or information to ask for and often tell Linda LaPointe, CaregiverCoach, “It’s difficult to concentrate on a project when I feel like you should make a call or stop in to check on Mom & Dad.” “Education is the key,” LaPointe says, “so caregivers have some idea what to expect and how to help.” Having seen both sides of the aging situation as a former administrator and now as a Geriatric Care Manager, Linda LaPointe remembers the day she knew what she would do to help families in crisis. She tells us about it: The 60ish man looked to be assisting his father from the passenger side of the car, when he suddenly and shockingly, in one swift movement, slammed the car door, leapt to the sidewalk and yelled, “You old f------ son of a b------!”, leaving the older man in the car.

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