Gilbert, Ariz. (December 9, 2009) – Eldercare benefits are a fairly new concept to employee benefit packages, but one that employers are seeing as an up-and-coming demand and a way to add value to positions without increasing compensation.
Across the nation, employers are beginning to catch on to the high, but sometimes quiet, demand among employees for eldercare benefits as life expectancy levels rise and the aging population continues to grow. According to a National Alliance for Caregiving survey completed in 2006, nearly 60 percent of caregivers are working full time and as a result, the majority of these individuals often choose to miss work, cut hours, take unpaid leave or quit their jobs entirely to care for their aging relatives.
Forward thinking employers are recognizing this as a growing concern and are updating their benefits programs accordingly. In Arizona, CarePatrol Assisted Living Services is providing more than 600 companies nationwide a free program for employees called ElderBenefit that offers employees eldercare consulting and assistance in finding long-term care. This program is free of charge to both the employer and to the employee. ElderBenefit is compensated by the thousands of providers in their network.
For employers, the CarePatrol ElderBenefit program can easily be added alongside health insurance, life insurance policies, 401(K)s, stock options and other benefits. Once an employer incorporates the ElderBenefit package into its benefits, employees are provided with all of the tools needed for free consultations and information if they find themselves in need of eldercare advice. The ElderBenefit allows employees, with their elderly loved one, to visit an in-person care consultant, who can evaluate and advise on all long-term living issues. This consultation can range from topics such as the legalities of moving into a long-term home, incorporating a long-term financial plan to pay for these services, providing family support, and even touring residential facilities that match the senior’s physical, mental and geographic needs.
“Studies continue to show that eldercare issues will overshadow childcare issues in the next five years,” said Chuck Bongiovanni, founder and president of CarePatrol. “The topic of eldercare and caregiver issues has long been considered taboo in the workplace, but we’re seeing employers taking the first steps to create an open dialogue by providing the ElderBenefit program to employees at zero cost to both the company and the employee.”
Companies that integrate the ElderBenefit program are reporting that the benefit assists in attracting and retaining quality employees, increases productivity due to reduction of stress and enhances company culture because employees feel that management is supportive of caregiver situations. After signing up, employers are provided with all of the necessary information, including sensitivity training, access to care consultants for questions and answers and collateral material for employees.
CarePatrol is a free senior referral company that fully assists older adults and their families in finding and transitioning into assisted living homes and other senior care options. Helping families since 1994, CarePatrol has worked with more than 3,000 seniors and their families. For more information, visit www.elderbenefit.com.
About CarePatrol
Established in 1994 in Arizona CarePatrol is a free senior housing referral service that fully assists older adults and their family members in finding and transitioning into assisted living homes, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care facilities, and coordinating in-home care needs. Analyzing and evaluating yearly state-issued reports for nearly 2,000 assisted-living homes, CarePatrol only works with the highest quality facilities within its proprietary rating system. Easing the stress associated with finding long-term care, CarePatrol experts guide families through this often difficult process from start to finish. From assessing the senior’s lifestyle needs, speaking with doctors and reviewing medical charts, to personally touring families through high-ranking facilities, CarePatrol meets each client’s medical, physical, financial and geographic needs for their new home search. As a rapidly expanding franchise company with 10 locations around the nation, CarePatrol’s innovative and unprecedented approach to long-term care has positioned the company as a pioneer in the industry. Visit www.carepatrol.com.