This article is based on survey results presented by Erica Dinger, J.D. of AARP at a forum on Elder Care in The Workplace at the March 2007 American Society on Aging / National Council on the Aging Annual Meeting. Panelists included Ms. Dinger, Blanche Katz, R.N., Claire Culbertson, MPH, Caregiver Program Coordinator, Area Agency on Aging of Dane County, Madison WI, Marilynn Ley Lawler, BSN, MA, director of community relations, Independent Living, Inc., of Madison, and your editor.

Since 2003, AARP has been conducting employer surveys to uncover trends and insights regarding caregiving in the workplace. The surveys focus on employers' understanding of caregiving and their perception of its costs.

According to researcher Erica Dinger of AARP Knowledge Management, the AARP South Carolina caregiving survey assessed resources available to South Carolina employees caring for an older friend or relative. 2,000 businesses were contacted and 587 responded (a 29% response rate).

Some of the survey's major findings included:

• Half of employers say their employees have asked for time off for caregiving
• Eight in ten employers believe their employees would be comfortable asking for time off for caregiving
• One-third have requested time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act

Among the top types of benefits these employers offer caregiving employees:

• 71% Personal/Bereavement Leave
• 34% Job Security
• 34% Flexible Schedule
• 17% Referrals to Counseling
• 17% Referrals to Eldercare Services

Dinger reports that, among employers that do offer a program or benefit for caregivers, the offerings are well-established, having been in place for five or more years. And nearly four in ten respondents say their program or benefit is extremely or very well utilized by their employees.

The chief barriers identified to developing programs for caregivers include:

• One-third of employers say that covering the employee's time is the main barrier
• Other barriers include cost issues (19%) and increased paperwork (16%)

As far as effect of caregiving on job performance, here's how these South Carolina employers rated the impact:

• 46% - minor impact
• 30% - not sure; no answer
• 13% - no effect
• 10% - major effect

Where do employers go for help for employees with caregiving issues? According to Dinger's findings:

• One-third go to the local Area Agency on Aging
• About two in ten would use the Internet, the Society for Human Resource Management, or AARP
• 37% say they don't know where they would go for help to establish a caregiver program

Most (70%) employers surveyed expressed interest in caregiving resources.

For complete survey results, contact Ms. Dinger at AARP Knowledge Management at edinger@aarp.org or (202) 434-6176.

An excerpt from the 2nd edition of Elder Care: A Six Step Guide to Balancing Work and Family by John Paul Marosy. Order now on- line at http://www.bringingeldercarehome.com/pay.html

"One notion of balance involves achieving a fixed, mechanical state of equilibrium between two opposing opposites, e.g., work and family, at a single point in time. This outdated idea of balance calls to mind the image of a mechanical balance scale like the one shown in Figure One, below.

If you add too much weight to the left (work) side of the scale, then the work side will tilt sharply downward, throwing off the balance with the right (family) side - and vice versa. In this model, the person is caught in the middle, like the fulcrum of the scale, at the center of a near-impossible balancing act, constantly struggling to adjust an out-of-kilter situation." (page 5)

NEXT MONTH: An alternative image inspires dynamic balance.