Elevating the Needs of Family Caregivers: Why Respite Should Be a Concern to Employers

In this National Lifespan Respite Conference presentation, representatives from the MA and NE Lifespan Respite programs shared their employer engagement efforts to support family caregivers.

Presenters from the NE Lifespan Respite Program presented the business case of why employers need to be educated on the needs of family caregivers. Specific strategies for Respite Networks to engage with employers to better support their employees who are family caregivers will be offered. Attendees will obtain data to get employers’ attention on why supporting family caregivers is essential to ‘their bottom line’ and marketing templates that can be adapted to engage with employers in their area.

The MA Lifespan Respite Program leads presenteds a replicable, cross-sector corporate outreach model. The Massachusetts Lifespan Respite Coalition partnered with the EMC/DELL corporation to develop an employee caregiver survey to assess employee difficulty in balancing caregiving and work responsibilities. The survey was distributed to more than 25,000 EMC employees via company email. Key lessons – both opportunities and challenges – are shared as well as findings and recommendations helpful in identifying the respite needs of some of today’s workers.