Date of Award

1992

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

First Advisor

Arlene Taich

Second Advisor

Phoebe A. Cirio

Third Advisor

Peggy E. Spencer

Abstract

Caregiving roles already impact the American workforce and will continue to affect productivity and personal lives of workers at an ever increasing rate. Demographics bear out that midlife females, the traditional caregivers, are returning to the workforce in increasing numbers each year. As our society ages, the fastest growing segment of the population, the "old-old," will require a wider spectrum of services from both agencies and family members. Many adults already find themselves "sandwiched" between the needs of children and the demands of elderly relatives, a situation that will become more common before the year 2000.

In the early 1980s, a small number of farsighted employers blazed a trail for corporate response to the employed caregiver and eldercare issues. Since that time, the response has varied and given rise to new options provided by third-party contractual providers who design employee assistance programs (EAPs). Collective bargaining and impending public policy are also key players in any corporate response to the eldercare issues. On the national average, employee benefits comprise 31 % of corporate payrolls. Employer awareness and interest in these issues is slow in coming.

A preliminary survey of some local employers substantiated the weak response to eldercare. Gerontologists have an extraordinary opportunity to help educate, design options, and provide direct assistance concerning this relevant issue of the 1990s.

Download

Share

COinS