October 17, 2018
Are employers starting to take notice of a need for senior care leave?
St. Louis businesses have long acknowledged the need for new mothers or fathers to take some time from work to concentrate on the various requirements of a newborn, but what’s been acknowledged much less is the incredibly important need for adult children to take time away to look after their older loved ones. However, as our life expectancy continues to expand, and as baby boomers are going into their senior years, the balancing act to take care of professional and family lives is starting to become more challenging.
And attempting to balance a career alongside elder care needs can be hugely difficult. In reality, providing care alone, without adding in work-related stress, places caregivers at an increased possibility of depression, substance abuse, and a variety of physical issues: heart-related illnesses, infections, and cancer, just to identify a few.
And even though the Family and Medical Leave Act ensures that employees of larger companies get access to twelve weeks of unpaid leave, only 13% of employees receive paid family leave – a significant component for a lot of people to make certain monetary needs are met. And a full one out of every seven employees who care for an older parent wind up decreasing their time at the office, accepting a lesser-paying job, or leaving the workforce completely.
One solution to keep a close watch on is the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act, or FAMILY Act, introduced in 2017 to provide limited income to family caregivers for approximately 12 weeks for providing care for aging parents facing a health concern. To date, five states have enacted similar policies (New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and California – plus Washington, DC).
Although paid leave for caregivers is expensive for employers, Maureen Corcoran of Prudential Financial notes, “It is not more costly than losing employees early to disability, to early retirement, to presenteeism (when employees show up for work but don’t get much done).”
Thankfully, there is one other answer readily available to all family caregivers: partnering with a knowledgeable agencies in elderly care in St. Louis like Continuum. We offer family members the peace of mind needed to focus in the office, knowing their senior loved one is getting the highest possible quality of care, personalized to every individual’s unique needs.
Give us a call at (314) 863-9912 or (636) 861-3336 or contact us online to learn more about our professional elderly care in St. Louis, to request educational resources specific to the precise challenges your senior loved one is facing, and to obtain a free in-home consultation to learn how we provide top quality services in elder care St. Louis MO families trust the most.