Advocates for caregivers push companies to realize the importance of understanding and planning for a workforce made up of family caregivers. And for a good reason: without flexibility and understanding from businesses, caregivers are faced with having to leave the workforce altogether to support the needs of the older adult in their life. Early retirement then puts a strain on their ability to afford their own future care needs.
What Can Employers Do?
First, companies need to accept that this is a workplace issue. They will find that there is a range of policies and programs they can adopt to better support their workforce.
Hold a meeting. You may already have a weekly meeting on the calendar. Take five minutes to announce interest in this initiative, and possibly even to survey how many of the employees are in fact caregivers.
Collect and distribute caregiving resources. AARP is a national leader in advocating for caregivers. Their program ReACT is an online resource designed for the workplace which acquaints employers with best practices to support their workforce and maintain productivity.9
Start a workgroup. Opportunities for employees to meet and discuss shared experiences can do wonders for their mental health. Although this meeting could be held before or after business hours, holding it during office hours ensures that all employees can attend if they want to.
Consider telework and compensatory time. The typical nine-to-five workday is confining and offers little opportunity to schedule medical appointments for our loved ones without having to take time off work. Teleworking and comp time provide flexibility and allow employees to attend appointments while maintaining productivity.
Investing in staff creates a friendlier and more productive workforce. There are a staggering number of caregivers with full-time and part-time jobs, and the number will only increase over the next few years. Employers have an opportunity to not only foster a healthy work environment within their company, but also provide a better quality of life for their employees and, in turn, the older adults who depend on them every day.
The Sandwich Generation
An individual considered part of the Sandwich Generation has a parent over sixty-five and a child under eighteen or a grown child still in need of parental support. Pew Research found that 71 percent are aged forty to fifty-nine and are providing care at both ends of the spectrum at the same time. For many years, Baby Boomers made up the bulk of the Sandwich Generation; however, as Baby Boomers continue to age, they are now being cared for by the next generation of the Sandwiched—Gen X who were born between 1965 and 1979 and are currently between thirty-nine and fifty-three years old.10
The Sandwich Generation makes up the bulk of our workforce, and, while more affluent households ($100,000 a year or more) are more likely to provide this type of care, the Sandwich phenomenon does not discriminate. This generation reports providing care, financial support, and emotional support to both their children and their parents simultaneously. A majority also feel just as obligated to provide for their aging parents during this phase of their life as they do to provide for their children.11
Becoming a caregiver to both parents and children in midlife offers a unique perspective on the spectrum of life. Some caregivers find it humbling and a great honor to be able to provide this kind of love and support to their family. This is a beautiful sentiment that is unique in the caregiving experience, as many of these individuals will learn how to provide care on a variety of levels. However, the financial burden of providing for both children and parents is great, especially as caregivers try to save for retirement. On average, the Sandwich Generation will spend seven thousand dollars in out-of-pocket caregiving costs.12
The Millennial Caregiver
I am a Millennial. I am right on the cusp of the generational shift, and, over the past couple of years, I’ve noticed a distinct change in the conversations I have with others in my cohort. While we discuss near-future decisions like careers, homes, and starting a family, the question of how close to home we should stay becomes a critical factor in the decision-making process. Why wouldn’t it? The comforts of home are attractive to many of us, especially as we get a bit older and feel more inclined to carry on family traditions. Being closer to home also helps if and when close family members start to need additional care or support.
The National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP Public Policy Institute’s report on the Millennial Caregivers says the average age of this cohort’s caregiver is twenty-seven. They are working full-time, half of them live with a spouse or partner, and on average they have graduated high school and taken some college courses. All live with or live close to the care recipient.13
For those who aren’t yet caregivers, the chances of becoming one are incredibly high due to the number of older adults who will be in need of care over the next twenty years. An increased generational focus on higher education and career means that many in the Millennial cohort will start a family and buy a home much later than their parents did. A later start means they will be in full-blown parenting and career mode when their parents begin to need additional care. Many of them are already privy to the realities of the family caregiver role. Their parents are Baby Boomers who have had the wild experience of raising a new generation while caring for the one that came before them. They are now left with the question, “Who’s going to take care of me?”
The Caregiver for the Caregiver
Many caregivers are so busy taking care of their parent or loved one that they have either forgotten to or chosen not to take care of themselves, leaving their spouses, children, other family members, and even friends to step up and help take care of the caregiver’s needs.
While this attention may not be as physically demanding as what the caregiver is providing for the older adult, these assistants to the caregiver work in several other ways. They provide emotional support and will spend most of their time listening and allowing the caregiver a safe space to vent. They assist in researching resources and support networks in the community. They understand their time with the person will change due to the scheduling constraints that accompany caregiving demands.
The assistant to the caregiver will most likely see it all and provide the bulk of the emotional support without receiving much reciprocation. Caregivers will spend all their time and energy on their loved one’s care so that, too often, they have little left to give to other loved ones in their lives. It can be challenging to strike a balance when in the throes of caregiving, but the support you are providing them does not go unnoticed.
It Takes a Village
Caregivers are our neighbors, our coworkers, our friends, and our families. They carry on each day with the needs of their families and their loved ones on their minds. Caregivers are a part of the fabric of our society, which is essential to acknowledge for two reasons: 1) You, the caregiver, have representation and validation that you are not alone in this journey, and 2) our society sees the needs of our caregivers and can provide them with structural support. Caregiving needs are wide-ranging and rapidly changing today, and government agencies, businesses, non-profit organizations, and community members not only recognize these needs and changes but also are in the process of changing the way they do business and offering a host of resources and services for our care recipients.
I heard a recent news story about a small-town family whose son uses a wheelchair. Their community park installed a wheelchair-accessible swing, and the mom made a comment that resonated. She said it had been mainly up to the family to make the world available for her son, which meant everything from walking/wheeling down the street to recreational pursuits so her son could have a fun childhood. An image of her son and the rest of the family laughing and smiling around the swing set spoke strongly of the joy that this intervention had brought to this family. Because