Caregiving: The Balancing Act for Today’s Workforce Debra Lerner, MS, PhD, Director, Program on Health, Work and Productivity Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine and Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences
2 What Have We Learned About Caregivers Who Are Also Employed? • 2009 Workplace Survey of Employees in a Business Services Company • 2015 Population-Based Survey of Caregivers of Persons with Schizophrenia and/or Schizoaffective Disorder 4/5/17 Debra Lerner, MS, PhD
3 Who is An Informal Caregiver? You are a caregiver, if all of the following statements are true: • At anytime in the past year you provided unpaid help, or arranged for help, to a relative or friend with an illness or disability that left them unable to do some things for themselves, or who needed assistance because they were simply getting older. • The kind of help involved assistance with household chores, finances, personal or medical needs. • The person who needed help lived in his or her own home, in your home or another caregiver’s home or in another place such as a nursing home. 4/5/17 Debra Lerner, MS, PhD
4 Workplace Survey (4,128 Responded, 755 Current Caregivers) Who is Providing Care? Current Caregivers = 18.3% Past Caregivers = 10.2% Current Caregivers' Gender Current Caregivers' Age 60+ 6% <30 10% 30-40 Men 50-60 38% 18% 32% Women 40-50 62% 34% 4/5/17 Debra Lerner, MS, PhD
5 Workplace Survey (755 Current Caregivers) Who is Receiving Care? Child under 18 years old Parent 49% 75% Non-relative 25% Spouse/ domestic Other relative partner 33% 36% 4/5/17 Debra Lerner, MS, PhD
6 Which Employees are Vulnerable to Spillover Effects? Caregiver Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ) Scores by Caregiver Age (755 Current Caregivers) 50% Age group <30 (n=73) 30-40 (n=130) 40% 41-50 (n=262) Time With Limitations 51-60 (n=235) >60 (n=44) 30% 20% 10% 0% Time Management Physical Tasks Mental-Interpersonal Output Tasks Tasks Work Limitations Due to Caregiving Past 4 Weeks 4/5/17 Debra Lerner, MS, PhD
7 Which Employees are Vulnerable to Spillover Effects? Caregiver WLQ Scores by Caregiver Occupational Category (755 Current Caregivers) 50% Hourly (n=481) 40% Salaried Time With Limitations (n=274) 30% 20% 10% 0% Time Management Physical Tasks Mental-Interpersonal Output Tasks Tasks Work Limitations Due to Caregiving Past 4 Weeks 4/5/17 Debra Lerner, MS, PhD
8 Which Employees are Vulnerable to Spillover Effects? Caregiver WLQ Scores by Number of Care Recipients (755 Current Caregivers) Occasional (n=130) 50% 1 Person (n=319) 2 People (n=165) 3 People (n=71) 40% ≥ 4 People (n=70) Time With Limitations 30% 20% 10% 0% Time Management Physical Tasks Mental-Interpersonal Output Tasks Tasks Work Limitations Due to Caregiving Past 4 Weeks 4/5/17 Debra Lerner, MS, PhD
9 Do Caregivers Prefer to Hire Someone to Assist? (755 Current Caregivers) Yes, full-time help No, help 4% wanted but can't get it 19% Yes, part-time No, help not help wanted 11% 66% 4/5/17 Debra Lerner, MS, PhD
10 Do Caregivers Plan to Take a Leave of Absence? (755 Current Caregivers) Yes 4% Not sure 17% No 79% 4/5/17 Debra Lerner, MS, PhD
11 What Have We Learned About Caregivers Who Are Also Employed? • 2009 Workplace Survey of Employees in a Business Services Company • 2015 Population-Based Survey of Caregivers of Persons with Schizophrenia and/or Schizoaffective Disorder • Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorders are Chronic, Frequently Disabling Chronic Illnesses • Research Indicates that Caregivers Have a Substantial Influence on the Outcomes of Persons Receiving Care 4/5/17 Debra Lerner, MS, PhD
12 Caregivers of Persons with Serious Mental Illness Survey (1,142 Responding) How Many Caregivers Were Employed? Retired 4% Unemployed <2 years (not Full-time retired) 42% 28% Part-time 21% Stopped working past 2 years (not retired) 5.8% 4/5/17 Debra Lerner, MS, PhD
13 Caregivers of Persons with Serious Mental Illness Survey (710 Employed Caregivers) Who Was Receiving the Care? Other non- Other relative relative 4% 5% Child 9% Spouse/ partner Parent 13% 54% Sibling 15% 4/5/17 Debra Lerner, MS, PhD
14 Caregivers of Persons with Serious Mental Illness Survey (710 Employed Caregivers) Where Did Caregivers and Persons Receiving Care Reside? Other 7% Facility Caregivers' 19% home Other home 42% 9% Own home 23% 4/5/17 Debra Lerner, MS, PhD
15 Spillover into the Workplace: Caregiver WLQ Scores for Caregivers of Persons with Serious Mental Illness Survey (710 Employed Caregivers) 50% 40% Time With Limitations 30% 20% 10% 0% Time Management Physical Tasks Mental-Interpersonal Output Tasks Tasks Work Limitations Due to Caregiving Past 4 Weeks 4/5/17 Debra Lerner, MS, PhD
16 What is Contributing to Psychological Distress among Caregivers? Caregivers of Persons with Serious Mental Illness Survey (1,142 Responding) Individual Characteristics • Younger C • Younger CR • Diagnosed past 5 years • Health of C Negative Cognitive Individual Characteristics Appraisals Caregiver • Employment status • Financial burden Distress • Emotionally unrewarding Caregiver Role Demands Social Support • Primary C Limited Availability– • Provides most care • Of a substitute C when • Vigilant about med adherence needed • Hospitalized CR • Caregiving guidance & • High ADL/IADL Assistance advice • High Monitoring Assistance
17 Key Takeaways Many employees are caregivers and they are a diverse group, varying in • age, gender and occupation and often share a home with the persons who receive care The persons receiving care are also diverse-some are relatively young • and some are relatively old Despite substantial psychological distress and spillover into the • workplace, many caregivers prefer to do the caregiving themselves and have no plans to take time off Employers may need to consider these factors to develop effective • approaches to supporting our multi-generational workforce and reducing the impact of caregiving on the workplace 4/5/17 Debra Lerner, MS, PhD
Recommend
More recommend
