Assessing Needs of Family Caregivers in the Workplace

Molly Spaulding

Family Living Educator

Other members of the Employed Family Caregiver Survey Workgroup include:

Clifton Barber, Mary Brintnall-Peterson, Jane Jensen, Faye Malek, Kathy Miller, Peggy Nordgren, Heidi Ungrodt, Dianne Weber and Teri Zuege-Halvorsen.

Assessing Needs of Family Caregivers in the Workplace

One in four adults is a caregiver, and caregivers who are in the workforce cost employers in the U.S. more than $34 billion annually. The average cost is $2,000 per caregiver working fulltime, in part, due to workday interruptions and distractions, absenteeism and shifts from full-time to part-time work or leaving the workforce altogether. To address needs of employees who also are caregivers, I worked with UW-Extension colleagues in five other counties and with the UW-Extension program specialist in aging to develop and pilot a brief online assessment tool with county government employees. More than half of the respondents were in a caregiving role. Their responses helped our workgroup clarify the economic impact of adult caregiving on county government and assess the caregivers' educational needs.

Creative, intellectual work

To develop the Employed Family Caregiver Survey, our workgroup used existing caregiver research and the review of five Cooperative Extension specialists from three other states. The survey received human subjects approval through the UW-Extension Institutional Review Board. We piloted the online survey with county government employees in six Wisconsin counties: Bayfield, Calumet, Green Lake, Manitowoc, Taylor and Washburn. We shared county-specific results through a two-page executive summary document and a complete report with each county's employees, department heads, board of supervisors and administration.

Of the 676 employees who responded to the survey (response rate of 48 percent), 378 were identified as caregivers, described as providing one or more caregiving responsibilities for an adult relative or friend in the past six months, such as household work, personal care, bill payment or errands. Sixty-six percent of caregivers indicated they had to miss work to fulfill caregiving responsibilities, while many used lunch hours and break times to arrange appointments and provide other assistance for the care receiver.

County employees responding to the survey wanted to learn about caregiving benefits offered through county government. They also wanted information about planning for future caregiving needs – including legal, financial, and healthcare issues – and available community resources for caregivers.

Survey data helped raise awareness of the impact of caregiving on the county government workforce and bring needed educational resources to assist employed caregivers. In each county, the family living educator led educational sessions about family caregiving for employees, guided the review of related county employee policies, provided additional resources and strengthened collaborative relationships with county elected officials and other county departments.

Peer reviewed

The survey was reviewed by five Extension specialists from North Carolina, New York and Oregon, as well as a caregiving researcher from UW-Milwaukee.

Presentations and poster sessions have included:

• Wisconsin Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP) Annual Conference, Green Bay, April 2010
• Aging in America Conference, Chicago, March 2010
• UW-Extension Family Living State Conference, Stevens Point, November 2009
• eXtension National Conference, St. Louis, October, 2009
• Pathways to Financial Success Conference, Stevens Point, June 2009
• Wisconsin JCEP Annual Conference, Madison, April 2009
• Aging in America Conference, Las Vegas, March 2009

Additions to intellectual history

Publications include:

• "The Impact of Adult Caregiving on Government Employees in Six Rural Counties in Wisconsin" in the Journal of the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (JNEAFCS), Vol. 4, 2009, beginning on page 20
• "The Impact of Adult Caregiving on County Government Employees" through the UW-Extension Department of Family Development Publications, May 2009
• "Many Wisconsin County Employees Balance Work and Caregiving Roles" in the Wisconsin Counties Association magazine, November 2008, beginning on page 36
• Survey and report tools are available to any employer or Extension educator nationwide through the Extension.org website.

Valued by target audience

The survey provided valuable information to each county as an employer. With more than half of survey respondents indicating they were in a caregiving role, county administration realized that caregiving affected county employees. They examined county policies related to family leave and flex time. Additionally, the personnel committee encouraged each family living educator to offer caregiver education for county employees. Using existing employed caregiver curriculum, our workgroup developed and piloted teaching resources with county government employees.

We also have developed strong relationships with local partners, including the Aging Unit, all six county human resources directors, staff from the county Aging and Disability Resource Centers, and others, which has increased opportunities to share caregiver education and outreach.

Additionally, the employed caregiver survey now is available to employers nationally through the Extension.org website. Our workgroup has partnered with an Extension specialist from Texas to develop templates for sharing the survey results with employers.