America's 76 million Baby Boomers are beginning to retire. And there won't be enough skilled labor to fill all the jobs as the economy begins to rebound in the years ahead. By 2012, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) estimates there will be 165 million jobs and only 162 million people available in the workforce. And 19 percent (30 million) of those available workers will be age 55 and older. Most employers aren't prepared to handle this impending labor shortage.

Some companies are testing approaches that can minimize elder care productivity losses and strengthen the loyalty - and length of service - of employees facing these challenges. In a June 21, 2007 Wall Street Journal article, Sue Shellenbarger cited these examples of new approaches:

• Raytheon offers employee caregiver seminars on self-care and emotional support.
• At Nike and Intel, officials are offering a six-week program developed by Legacy Healthcare System in Portland, Oregon, called Powerful Tools for Caregivers, a course that teaches relaxation, caregiving skills and help dealing with doctors and family.
• IBM, Exxon Mobil and Texas Instruments have funded development of an online version of the Powerful Tools program through the non-profit American Business Collaboration.

According to Shallenbarger, Texas Instruments sees "a potential payoff," not only in productivity, but in employee well-being. She quotes Betty Purkey, manager, work-life strategies as saying "This is a natural way to think about wellness."

In January 2007, the MIT Workplace Center produced The Family Caregiver Handbook: Finding Elder Care Resources in Massachusetts to ease access to needed support for its employed family caregivers, as well as family caregivers in the community. See the handbook. MIT has been recognized by AARP as one of the nation's best employers for persons fifty years of age or older.

By providing easier access to help when needed and by emphasizing education for wellness, employers can minimize productivity losses related to elder care. Successful efforts start with understanding that elder care presents different challenges and requires different solutions than child care.

Next Month: Part 3 - Surfing the Age Wave