By 2040 the percentage of people aged 65 and older will have nearly doubled to nearly 22%, up from 13% in 2010. Even more telling, the number of people 85 years or older will triple. Yet the past few years has seen little growth in the number of employers offering benefits for employees who care for older and disabled relatives. 

According to the Families and Work Institute’s 2016 National Study of Employers, 42% of employers offer elder care resource and referral services and 78% provide some amount of either paid or unpaid time off for employees who need to care for aging relatives. These figures, however, have remained virtually unchanged since the study was conducted in 2012.
 

As many as one in six full-time or part-time employees care for an elderly or disabled family member, according to a Gallup poll. But less than a quarter of those workers have access to any assistance in navigating the benefits they are entitled to receive.

 

The issue is widespread and affects a large portion of the workforce. Consider these statistics from Gallup research:

• 20% of all female and 16% of all male workers in the U.S. are caregivers

• Caregivers are forced to miss an average of 6.6 days of work per year because of caregiving responsibilities.

• The cost of lost productivity due to absenteeism among full-time working caregivers is more than $25 billion annually.

The typical “sandwich generation” employee who simultaneously cares for children, spouses and parents is typically a woman in her late forties who works a full or part-time job while providing 20 hours a week of care for aging relatives. Today, it’s estimated that 25% of all family caregivers are younger millennials and 50% are under the age of 50. 

​

"As the baby boomer generation gets older, an increasing number of people in the workforce are taking on the role of unpaid caregiver for a family member or friend. Many also are in the midst of raising their own children, which means they’re pulled in many different directions, trying to keep up with work commitments and family responsibilities. In fact, according to researchers at Harvard Business School, 73% of employees in the U.S. are caring for a child, parent or friend."  This Harvard Study lays out the 7 Ways Employers Can Support Family Caregivers.

​

Balancing Work Responsibilities and Caregiving Demands is Often Difficult

• Employees may need to make phone calls from work to doctors or to arrange home care, coordinate with other family members providing care or check on an ill or elderly family member.

• They may need to leave work early or come in late to take a family member to a doctor’s appointment.

• If emergencies arise, they may need to take time off from work for a few hours or even several days.

 

More than 90% of family caregivers will have to manage all or some of the following:

• Unforeseen medical events and/or emergencies that require immediate caregiving services

• Finding caregiving services a month or more in advance to support a loved one who is transitioning from the hospital or rehabilitation facility back to the home.

• Choosing support services and caregiving products that meet ongoing in-home needs.