Eldercare Information Kit

Australia has an ageing workforce many of whom are carers.

Did you know?

• Employees with Eldercare responsibilities take 30 per cent more time off work to care for their family members than those with childcare responsibilities
• Nearly 600,000 Australians provide care for older relatives or friends
• One of the main reasons employees take time off work is to care for their parents
• Family members provide over 80 per cent of the help given to people over 60
• Of those people working prior to taking on the "carer" role, 15 per cent make changes to their work hours due to their responsibilities for caring
• 21 per cent of primary carers are employed part-time and 17 per cent work full-time (Source: ABS, Social Trends 2005, Cat. No. 4102.0, 2003).

Finding care and services for an older person can be challenging

Employees report that finding services and options for older relatives is time-consuming and more complex than they expect. They say that looking for eldercare providers and understanding the 'red tape' takes time away from the workplace. Absenteeism increases and, in some cases, employees resign because they are not able to cope. Employers are losing experienced and talented employees who could have been helped to manage their situation by an employer who is responsive to eldercare issues.

A tried and tested way to help your staff with information about eldercare issues

The Managing Work|Life Balance International Eldercare Information Kit is a low-cost resource by which organisations can provide practical help which is both valuable to employees and cost-effective for the business. Over 60 private and public sector organisations now provide this material to staff via their intranet or in hard copy. The Kit also provides information to help employees understand the issues and access the services they need.

Eldercare Topics covered include:

The Eldercare Kit contains case studies, checklists and discussion guides to help carers, their families and older dependants to address the needs of eldercare.

The Eldercare Information Kit is available through a licensing arrangement with Managing Work|Life Balance, in a printed or electronic format and can be adapted to suit your organisation's specific policies, programs and corporate identity.

Organisations using the Kit include: