- Key insight: Learn how targeted eldercare benefits during school breaks reduce caregiver churn and absenteeism.
- Expert quote: Employers acknowledging caregiver isolation provides immediate value, says Dan Drennen, SVP Visiting Angels.
- Supporting data: Approximately 16 million sandwich caregivers juggle aging parents and children, per AARP.
Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review
For the millions of
There are approximately 16 million sandwich caregivers — those looking after both aging parents and a child under 18, according to AARP. A disruption in routine, like keeping up with
"We often see an increased need for respite care and short-term support due to changes in family scheduling," he explained. "For instance, a daughter who usually stops by on Thursday on her way home from work can no longer do so due to needing to pick up kids from camps or summer activities. Short-term scheduling conflicts are a major contributor to increased caregiving needs during the summer months."
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Drennen notes the year-round importance of benefits such as paid time off, schedule flexibility, and care-coordination resources.
"Whenever a family is caring for a parent or grandparent, there's always a big learning curve of what they didn't know," he said. "[For example,] the difference between assisted living, independent living, a nursing home, or home care. Does Medicare cover this? What about Medicaid? We've seen more employers offering care coordination services as an employee benefit, and that's where most of the ground can be made up — just by helping the workforce with the education of caring."
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When summer hits, employers can add much-needed support in the form of monetary assistance toward services like backup care, or access to a caregiver resource platform that can help employees fill temporary gaps. "Any benefit towards care, monetary or otherwise, would be a recruitment and retention tool for employers," Drennen said.
In addition to benefits, providing a list of local, vetted third-party eldercare resources such as Visiting Angels can save employees valuable research time. The company provides nonmedical care for seniors such as bathing, dressing and light transportation. What matters most, Drennen stressed, is to acknowledge the need at some level.
"The biggest issue caregivers express is that they feel like they're isolated and out there on their own, and they're dealing with this in a vacuum," he said. "For employers, there's an immediate benefit to just addressing the issue, even if you don't have the perfect solution yet. That, in and of itself, is a benefit because the employees really feel like they're being heard."
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A thoughtful approach to caregiver benefits and resources can go a long way with employees, and is a smart business move for employers who prioritize hanging onto talent, said Drennen.
"Eldercare is here to stay," he said. "Lessening the stress workers are dealing with when it comes to [this is] a positive investment in their employees and the overall health and wellness of their workforce and culture."
