Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 5, 1994 TAG: 9406040003
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: F-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DIANA KUNDE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
That's the picture drawn by Bruce Clark, public health specialist and co-founder of Age Wave Inc., a California research and consulting firm.
About 33 million Americans are over 65, more than the population of Canada, says Clark. By 2030, this segment of the population will more than double to about 70 million.
Now take a look at their children, the huge Baby Boom population. The oldest of the 76 million boomers turn 48 this year. Much more so than their sharply different from caring for children, the experts note. It's unpredictable and can be accompanied by grieving over the parent's deteriorating health. It can range from the relatively cheerful task of helping mom with a household move to the care of a dying parent. Complicating matters, that parent may be more than 100 miles away.
Some companies are beginning to change their benefits policies to include flexible hours or ``resource and referral'' hotlines that help employees find help, such as qualified visiting nurse services.
A few firms, including Household International, are beginning to offer long-term care insurance to both employees and their parents or in-laws.
``Our most recent user at headquarters was a fellow in commercial real estate whose mother-in-law had a stroke. They brought her home to live with them until she got better. The insurance paid for someone to come in and look after her,'' said Frank Spaulding, benefits manager at the company's Chicago headquarters.
Clark said flexibility is the biggest benefit for employees - whether it is in the hours worked or in where the work is done.
NationsBank - which offers job-sharing, flexible and part-time work schedules - first designed its options to meet child-care needs. Along the way, the Charlotte, N.C.-based banking company broadened the policies to deal with a variety of family care needs, including elder care, said spokeswoman Jan Boylston.
``As the Baby Boomers are aging, more are dealing with aging parents, so several years ago, we decided to take a broader look,'' Boylston said.
Exxon Corp. also refers to its flexible policies under the broad umbrella of ``work-life benefits,'' said spokeswoman Jill Johnson.The federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 mandates that most employers permit as many as 12 weeks of unpaid leave for the care of a seriously ill family member. The problem is that many families can't afford to go without paychecks - and that's where the ability to shift a schedule or cut back to part time comes in, said Boylston and Clark.
``Companies that do a good job of creating these benefits don't need to break the bank. They just need to tap into real needs,'' Clark said.
Margaret Rooney, a receptionist for Aetna Life Insurance and Annuity Co. in Hartford, Conn., would attest to that. At age 51, Rooney went home to Ontario, Canada, to visit her 82-year-old mother. She discovered her fiercely independent mother had become forgetful and suddenly unable to care for her own health.
Faced with the unexpected emergency, Rooney called her boss and asked for time off. She got a paid leave for a week and two weeks of unpaid leave. More than that, she got some peace of mind, Rooney said.
Arguing with hospital personnel who wanted to discharge her mother too early and facing the need to find nursing home care, she was under severe stress - and got total support from her boss, Rooney said.
``She said, `Whatever time it takes, you have the extension.' There was no pressure. I was able to concentrate 100 percent on my problem there with my mom,'' Rooney said. ``Coming back here, I was thoroughly grateful.''
by CNB