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Florida Business Observer Feature on Supporting Family Caregivers

Right at Home Sarasota owner Michael Juceam recently wrote a column for the Florida Business Observer about ways to support the increasing number of workers faced with responsibilities for caring for aging loved ones with Alzheimer's Dementia. The article explained that supporting caregivers could reduce negative impacts to business from lost worker productivity.

Michael provided background on recent statistics regarding Alzheimer's Dementia including -

There are more than 5.5 million Americans today living with Alzheimer’s disease.
Every 66 seconds someone in the United States develops the disease.
One in 10 Americans over the age of 65 has Alzheimer’s disease
In Florida, there are currently 520,000 people with the disease and that number will exceed 580,000 by 2020

He also explained how Alzheimer's Dementia impacts unpaid caregivers, including those who work full time at paid jobs. Here are some details he highlighted about how caregiving responsibilities effect workers, and ultimately their employers -

Between 30-40% of family caregivers suffer from depression, and caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients have demonstrated higher levels of subjective cognitive problems than non-caregivers.
Last year 68% of working caregivers had to make accommodations for their loved ones while working.
15% of caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients working 35 hours per week or more quit their job or retired early
At least 57% of the Alzheimer’s caregivers reported having to arrive late or leave early from work, and 16% had to take a leave of absence

Michael noted that all in all, Alzheimer's disease and other Dementias cost American businesses $36.5 billion annually due to lost productivity related to employees providing care, and $61 billion in total expense.

These are some steps Michael suggested businesses can take to reduce the negative impact tied to increasing needs for caregiving -

Provide education to the caregiving workforce, such as
- Information on community resources available to assist caregivers
- Programs available through disease organizations like the Alzheimer’s Association or community groups like The Friendship Center.
- Training on how to recognize signs or symptoms of cognitive issues
- Training on how to talk with family members about getting help
- Consider offering additional assistance for employees
  - Caregiving support in employee assistance packages
  - Establish Alzheimer's support groups open to employees before work or during lunch
For more information on caregiving resources in our community, call us at (941) 929-1966.