We’re thankful that this month has brought an increased awareness of elder care with National Family Caregivers Month. This month, Senior Providers Network is doing its part to highlight the necessity and value of elder care services for you and your employees. There are over 40 million unpaid caregivers in the United States.
What is National Family Caregivers Month?
President Bill Clinton designated November as National Family Caregivers Month. This month has been chosen to highlight the special challenges that family caregivers face. It also gives us all an opportunity to be thankful for the service of family caregivers. Caregiving for elderly relatives is not a job that ends at a certain time of the day. For this reason, family caregiving often requires a team. It’s a nonstop, around the clock, process that continues for every day of the year while loved ones are in need. For people who try to brave the responsibility of caring for an elder alone, the never-ending demands of such a task can be stressful and time-consuming. This is especially true when the task is combined with the demands of a full-time job. Many people who are in such a position remain dedicated and hardworking employees, they can still cost their companies millions of dollars per year due to being absent or being too distracted to function at a high level. Providing elder care services to your employees becomes an investment that your company should highly consider to keep reaching your company’s productivity and profitability goals.
The Need for Elder Care Services is Only Going to Increase
This is a hardship for your employees that is only going to increase, rather than diminish. Roughly 10,000 Baby Boomers will turn 65 on this very day, and about 10,000 more will cross that threshold every day for the next 13 years (according to the Pew Research Center). We must face that our population is aging, and this includes your employees’ parents and relatives. The pressure on your employees to care for their relatives will take an enormous toll, physically, emotionally, and financially. Therefore, it is more important than ever for employers to include elder care services in their standard employee benefits package. Give your employees the assistance they need.
What is the Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA)?
This alliance was founded in the 1980s by a group of families and community leaders in the San Francisco area. The purpose of this alliance was to create a network of special care and support for patients who suffered from conditions that did not fit into the normal health care system of the time. These included patients who were suffering from such conditions as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other traumatic injuries and disorders.
What is the Mission of the Family Caregiver Alliance?
The Family Caregiver Alliance mission is clear and simple. It aims to use all of its available resources to improve the quality of life for caregivers and the people that they are caring for. This mission is accomplished through the dissemination of info, special services, and tireless advocacy.
What is the National Center on Caregiving?
The National Center on Caregiving (NCC) is the arm of the FCA that engages in special research and advocacy with the goal of integrating caregivers into the national health and social services system. The NCC also provides info and resources to policymakers in order to help them craft programs and initiatives that give family members the assistance they need to transition into the role of full-time caregivers.
If you’re a caregiver and your company doesn’t offer eldercare employee benefits, please click below and see how we can help.
