We have worked with hundreds of organizations

Bringing Elder Care Home, LLC is a company that focuses on Elder Care Consulting and Services. Could you please introduce the company?

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Bringing Elder Care Home LLC helps create more caring and more productive work places by delivering high-impact training and education for managers and employees.

What companies/organizations have you been assisting so far?

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We have worked with hundreds of organizations, including for-profit companies, public sector agencies, and non-profit organizations, including College of the Holy Cross, Clark University, the Illinois State Department on Aging, Area Agency on Aging of Capital Area in Austin, TX, Senior Resource Group, and many others.

How much do you estimate the Elder Care market in the U.S.A.?

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There are over 50 million family caregivers in the U.S. today and about two-thirds of them work outside the home in full or part-time employment. That translates into 33 million people. ; Only about 10% of American workers work for an employer that offers some type of formal family caregiver support program, so there is a tremendous opportunity for growth. ;

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We know that the cost of doing nothing is high. ; A study by Met Life found that the cost in lost productivity relate to elder care/work conflicts is between $11 to $29 billion per year.

You also provide education to professionals of the market. Would you like to talk about your Train-The-Trainers conferences?

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We offer an intensive, one-day training conference for professionals who would like to learn to present the seminar, « Elder Care and Work: Finding the Balance. » ; This seminar empowers the employed family caregiver to solve his or her own elder care/work balance issues by imparting needed perspective, skills, and information. ; Each seminar is limited to 24 participants, so that we can assure attention to personal questions and organizational circumstances. We will be offering train-the-trainer conferences in various U.S. cities in fall 2005. ; Further information is available at www.bringingeldercarehome.com

Could you explain our readers what are the elder care work conflicts you identified?

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Conflicts arise from the four top needs of employed family caregivers:

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1. Time – employees need flexibility in their work time in order to respond to unexpected demands related to elder care. ; They also need time off from work and caregiving – respite time – in order to regain perspective and rejuvenate themselves. ; Conflicts related to time arise when communication is poor between employee and supervisor. ; Employers can avoid these conflicts by educating managers and by adopting flextime policies.

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2. Timely Information – employees need the right information on the right programs and services at the right time. ; When an employee is unaware of the options available, he or she often wastes time and energy, thus generating work conflicts due to distraction and anxiety. ; Employers can avoid this by providing information seminars and resource information in newsletters and via websites.

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3 Financial Solutions ;- The cost of elder care can be high. ; Employees need timely access to information and advice on methods of financing long term care for relatives. ; Employers can avoid conflicts related to this need to disseminating information about public programs that pay for elder care, offering group long term care insurance policies for employees and their relatives, and by providing links to useful websites like www.aarp.org

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4. Emotional Support – Often, the attitude and behavior of an employed family caregiver’s supervisor can make the difference between the employee staying on the job of quitting. ; Manager education and training is the key to avoiding misunderstandings and conflict. ; Elder care takes a heavy emotional toll on employees. ;When managers refer employees to resources like EAP plans and stress reduction classes offered by health plans, they save the company money by avoiding burnout and employee turnover.

What skills are required to deal with elder care work conflicts?

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Managers can learn a four step process for dealing effectively with elder care/work conflicts. ; The four steps are:

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1. Sense the conflict – When an otherwise-reliable and productive employee shows signs of a drop off in productivity, notice the changes. Realize that an increasing number of employees are dealing with elder care stress and that they are reluctant to talk about it with colleagues at work.

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2. Establish common understanding of the problem – Don’t assume that an elder care situation will necessary continue in « crisis mode » indefinitely. ; There are in infinite variety of elder care situations. ; Often, stress levels peak during a crisis, like a hospitallzation or move to a nursing home Then, the situation may stabilize for some time. ; Two-way communication is the key, with an emphasis on specifics rather than generalities.

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3. Negotiate and innovate – Once manager and employee have a common understanding of the issue, they can explore creative solutions that work for both the employer and employee. ; Perhaps a temporary reduction in hours is needed, or a re-assignment of some responsibilities that are time-sensitive. It’s important to set a timeframe for testing a new work arrangement, so both parties know when plan will be evaluated.

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4. Monitor for changes – The one constant in elder care is change. ; It’s important to stick to any agreed-upon timetable for evaluating the new arrangement defined in step #3. ; An effective response keeps the focus on job performance specifics and takes into account the ;impact on other team members, as well as organizational performance.

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John Paul Marosy, President
Bringing Elder Care Home LLC
52 Holden Street
Worcester, MA 01605
(508) 854-0431
www.bringingeldercarehome.com