As Boomers approach retirement age, their parents are reaching the age at which, in many cases, their ability to care for themselves is diminished. Some move to nursing homes, others continue living in their own homes—though frequently alone. Either way, increasing numbers of middle-aged children are devoting increasing numbers of hours to providing and coordinating care for their parents. Employees in these circumstances find that this exerts a significant strain on their careers.

Employers, too, feel the strain. Whether an office is empty because an employee is away attending to the needs of an aging parent, or an office is occupied by an employee busily making phone calls managing an aging parent’s care, it adds up to lost productivity.

Necessity: The Mother of Invention 

Professional geriatric care management is the healthcare’s industry’s response to the need for consistent, quality, long-term care for elders.

“The geriatric care management industry itself has probably been around for 15 years,” says Gini Toyne, president of Kansas City-based Creative Care Consultants. Toyne explains that companies providing long-term elder care management services first became prevalent on the coasts but are now becoming more common in the Midwest.

“The challenge is making employers aware of the resources so that they can include them in their employee benefits packages,” says Toyne.

What exactly does a geriatric care manager do? According to Toyne, the basic services are to:

•    Make a professional assessment of an elder’s care needs;

•    Identify and coordinate community services;

•    Arrange appropriate care services;

•    Assist with residential placement when necessary;

•    Serve as a source of information.

The cost of the initial assessment can range from $35-$95, for consultations, to $300, which includes written recommendations by a nurse practitioner and/or a social worker.

Ensuring a good relationship, or between a geriatric care manager and client is essential, says Toyne. “Many things need to be considered, including the individual’s diagnosis—whether the caregiver has ever worked with anyone with that specific diagnosis—the individuals’ functional needs, the type of residence—whether it be a home or community setting—personality, and finally, family dynamics.”

Producing Results 

In Kansas City, Hallmark is in the vanguard in offering elder care resources in their employee benefits packages. The list of Kansas City-based companies providing elder care benefits to their employees is growing slowly, and currently includes CitiCards, Honeywell’s Kansas City Plant and American Century Investments.

Amy Winterscheidt, the Work Life Consultant for Hallmark’s HR division, says the greeting card company is the “exception” in the quality of its employee assistance program (EAP) offerings.

“For many employees, attaining care for aging/ailing parents often involves multi-state travel,” says Winterscheidt. “Families are spread out, so getting care means traveling and having to take time off work.”

Winterscheidt quotes estimates that 30 percent of employees who need to care for elderly loved ones end up quitting their jobs, a figure she has worked to decrease. Four years ago, Hallmark contracted with Creative Care Consulting, which Winterscheidt is ebullient in praising Hallmark’s proactive approach.

Hallmark also extends the option of consultation and assessment to an employee’s older in-laws, which helps employees’ spouses, and the entire family.

Moreover, the benefits are seen in savings to the company. Winterscheidt’s conservative analysis of independent audits show that for every $1 Hallmark has paid out in benefits, it has saved as much as $5 in productivity.