Providing For Parents

If you are responsible for the care of an elderly parent or relative, either directly or indirectly, you may be struggling with balancing those demands with those of your work, your children and your partner. If so, you are not alone. Estimates for California show that there may be as many as 1.8 million families that care for someone age 50 or over. According to the National Family Caregivers Association, some 47% of family caregivers are employed. Of those, nearly three-quarters work full-time. And if you run your own business, there's a good chance that you define "full-time" in excess of 60 hours a week. A recent survey* of working adults who are caring for elderly relatives showed the following results: 46% cited dealing with emotional issues took the biggest emotional toll; 26% said taking care of financial and legal concerns as the biggest cause of stress; 20% chose providing day-to-day assistance; and 8% cited spending time on the phone or in person with their elderly relative. While you may not be able to afford the types of employee assistance programs of large corporations, here are resources you (and your employees if you have them) can turn to that will provide you with information and support. Government Eldercare Locator National Organizations AARP National Alliance for Caregiving Local Organizations SF Bay Area Caregiver Services Local Caregiver Resource Center Online Caregiver Support Link2Care [Registration required] Caregiver Support Group [Registration required]

*Source: ComPsych