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BUSINESS, ECONOMY, AND FINANCE

At Work: Dementia affects companies

Andrea Kay, Gannett
  • 1 in 8 Americans 65 and older has Alzheimer%27s disease
  • Millions more have another form of dementia
  • More than 1 in 7 U.S. workers care for or used to care for someone with dementia
Caregivers for Alzheimer's and dementia patients probably work for you. When they get home every night, they've got another job to do -- and sometimes that job conflicts with work.

If you work and have a spouse or partner, parents or older relatives, you'll want to hear this.

And if you own or run a business, you will, too.

Few people want to discuss this subject, but it needs discussing. Right now. It affects your health, career and pocketbook.

And if you run a business, it affects your bottom line.

The subject: dementia, Alzheimer's disease and how they're taking their toll on the productivity of the American workforce.

A few facts: 1 in 8 Americans age 65 and older has Alzheimer's disease. Millions more have another form of dementia. By 2025 — that's only 12 years away — another 30% of people will be living with Alzheimer's.

The prevalence of dementia is expanding rapidly as the population ages.

Who's taking care of these people? In many cases, it's their adult children, spouses and partners who work in your company.

More than 1 in 7 American workers are active or former caregivers for someone with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia, according to a recent national poll that looked at the effects of dementia on the workforce. Among those, only 47% were able to stay working while providing care.

The poll, commissioned by Workplace Options in conjunction with the Alzheimer's Association, showed that nearly 70% of those who work or worked while providing care had to modify their schedules. They went in late, left early or took time off during the day.

Other findings:

  • 32% had to take a leave of absence.
  • 26% changed jobs for a less demanding role.
  • 23% had to go from working full time to part time.
  • 20% said their work performance suffered to the point of possible dismissal.
  • 24% had to give up working entirely.

Other issues that come up while being a working caretaker are physical exhaustion and psychological problems such as depression and anxiety. For some, it amounts to a second job.

Caring for someone with Alzheimer's or other dementias can be stressful because of a patient's unpredictable behavior.

A 2006 study by the Center for Health Workforce Studies at the School of Public Health at the University of Albany, N.Y., points out economic consequences for women caregivers of patients with all types of illnesses.

Nearly 30% passed up a promotion, training or assignment. They are estimated to have an average lifetime loss of $25,494 in Social Security benefits, $67,202 in pension benefits and $566,433 in "wage wealth as a result of their caregiving."

An article in the Gallup Business Journal points to Gallup research that estimates American businesses lose more than $25 billion annually in productivity from absenteeism among full-time working caregivers.

70% of those who work while caring for dementia patients have to modify their schedules at some point.

Although some businesses recognize this as an issue — allowing unpaid or paid vacation or sick leave for caregiving — few workplaces offer benefits that are most effective in reducing absenteeism.

Benefits that provide the highest return on investment are access to:

• Counselors to discuss options for assisted living and nursing homes.

• A network of support groups.

• Employee-assistance programs to discuss emotional distress.

• Counselors to answer questions about the person they're caring for.

"It's in a business' best interest to understand that these things are going to happen and prepare for them," says Chief Executive Dean Debnam of Workplace Options, a provider of employee support services. Doing so will "allow employees to focus on their job when they're at work."

We're living longer, and the number of people with Alzheimer's will increase.

"The number of unpaid caregivers in the workforce will also continue to increase," says Angela Geiger, chief strategy officer at the Alzheimer's Association.

You never know when this could affect you.

Businesses and their workers need to talk about this — now, not later.

Career consultant Andrea Kay is the author of Life's a Bitch and Then You Change Careers: 9 steps to get out of your funk and on to your future. Reach her at andrea@andreakay.com. Twitter: @AndreaKayCareer.

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