A new report attempts to measure the cost of care giving for women who are still in the workforce. The report by the Working Mother’s Research Institute estimates that 6.7 million American woman are devoting 10 billion unpaid hours a year to caring for someone with Alzheimer’s, often at the expense of their own health, psyche and career. The report recommends how employers, doctors and families can help.
The report surveyed 2,479 women online, including 1,200 who are currently caring for someone with Alzheimer’s. Most of the women had children and 58 percent were employed. More than half of the women surveyed were providing at least 30 hours per week of care. The majority of the survey takers don’t know how long they will be providing care.
While great strides have been made for parents in the workplace, the report indicates that more needs to be done to support working caregivers, who are usually women. The average age of a caregiver is 54; it is the time in her career when she is more likely to be taking on a management or leadership position. Yet, 39 percent of women surveyed said that they’d passed up a promotion.
Beyond paying the bills, work is important for women who are caregivers because it provides emotional balance outside the home. Here are three steps employers can take to help ease the burden.
Provide more flexibility with schedules
Allow paid sick time to be used for care giving and emergencies
Provide up to date information and cognitive screening for early detection
Not surprisingly, flexibility tops the list. Over 80 percent surveyed deemed it important or very important, more helpful in fact, than paid time off. The report says creating a work culture that is supportive of care giving will become increasingly critical, as a growing number of Americans reach the advanced age where Alzheimer’s becomes more common. Early Alzheimer screenings are also highly recommended, since early detection gives families more time to plan. And more sophisticated tests are being developed that can identify Alzheimer’s years before actual symptoms occur.
One reason that a woman becomes primary care giver is because they can’t afford the alternative. Only about 10 percent of Americans have long-term care insurance, which would help pay for professional care at home or in an assisted living community like Bridges by EPOCH. Caring for a loved one is extremely admirable, but not enviable. If your finances permit, professional services can help ease the burden and the sooner you look into this option, the better prepared you’ll be financially, when you really need them.
To take the Working Women’s survey click here. To read the full report, click here