17% of South Florida Employees Quit their Job to Take Care of Parents Published by Thomas Cutler Submitted: 16 June,2005 The impact of Elder Care issues on corporate America will continue to grow as our elderly population increases: - Employees juggling job responsibilities with care giving are a reality in the workplace of today and the future. Workers are torn between the demands of their job and the ability to provide quality care to their relative. - One out of three American workers is also managing the care of an older relative. - Loss of productivity resulting from time off to care for an aging relative is estimated at $6100 per employee per year. - Caregiver stress accounts for a 27% increase in use of company health insurance benefits. Seventeen percent (17%) of caregivers quit their jobs to provide care for aging family members, and another 15% reduce their work hours to assist their loved ones. This shocking loss of employee productivity is hitting South Florida businesses very hard as more Boomers have senior parents who require caregiving. To stop this workforce hemorrhaging South Florida companies are looking for methods to provide assistance in caregiving to employees to keep them on the job and productive, while being sensitive to the needs of the employee. There have been attempts at Corporate Elder Care programs, however few as comprehensive at A Good Daughter, (www.agooddaughter.com) based in Margate. According to Olga Brunner, President, “Our Corporate Elder Care program was developed to help employees balance job responsibilities and caregiving. Our Professional Care Managers plan and organize care and services for the employees of Broward and Palm Beach elderly population, affording families a peace of mind that their loved ones will find and secure services such as ongoing supervision of certified home care assistants, home maintenance and care, medication supervision, coordination of medical appointments and representation at these appointments, legal counsel, specialized air travel escorts, and many other services.” While A Good Daughter works with individuals, the Corporate Elder Care program is ideally suited to the mid-sized company with fifty plus employees. A Good Daughter, Inc. www.agooddaughter.com Olga Brunner 800-963-3877 # # # About the Author None