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Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Jason Hutton jhutton@firsthealthcare.ca

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Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

• Introduction

• A few facts

• Why Organizations should care

• Organizationally speaking, what can be done about it

− Public Policies and Support

− Corporate Support Programs

− Other Alternatives

Canada is Aging

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

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• “For the first time ever, the senior population is expected to outnumber that of children under the age of 15 at some point between 2015 and 2021” – Statistics Canada 2013

• “60% of those over age 50 now have a surviving parent (vs. only 16% in 1960) -http://www.nia.nih.gov/sites/default/files/global_health_and_aging.pdf

• “In 1961, the median age in Canada was 26.3. By 2011, it had

risen to 40.6.” - http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/05/29/canadas-aging-

boomers-are-placing-new-strain-on-business-government/

Just the Facts - Demographics

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

What does this mean for our future?

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

?

A scene from the movie "Robot & Frank."

A scene from the movie "Robot & Frank."

A scene from the movie “Robot & Frank”

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Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

• The number of caregiving and compassionate care challenges are expected to dramatically increase in the coming years.

Everyone Faces These Challenges

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

“I got blindsided by not having been prepared for a parent who needed long-term care”

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/having-the-talk-with-rob-lowe-2015-01-08

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Q. - How many Canadians deal with a caregiving challenge each year?

1 Million!!! 3.9 Million 8.1 Million

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Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

• “Over one-quarter (28%), or an estimated 8.1 million Canadians provided care to a chronically ill, disabled or aging family member or friend in the last 12 months”- Stats Canada – Portrait of

Caregivers 2012

Why Should Organizations Care?

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Surveyed men and women in the sandwich generation with dependent care missed 13.4 and 19.4 days of work, respectively, compared with 7.0 and 10.6 days for men and women without dependent care. Duxbury L, Higgins C., Balancing Work,

Childcare and Eldercare: A view from the Trenches. Carleton University. Oct. 2012

Caregivers much more likely to miss work

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Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

• On Average, Caregiving lasts 5.4 years, the onset can be sudden and overwhelminghttp://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-008-x/2008002/article/10689-eng.htm

• Employees with high levels of caregiver strain spend on average 37% more on prescription medications than those employees with low level or no caregiver strain - http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-

semt/pubs/occup-travail/balancing_six-equilibre_six/index-eng.php

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Fast et. al., 2012

How Caregiving Impacts Organizations

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

The Employees of My Organization are Younger

• In high needs caregiving scenarios such as Alzheimer’s disease, 7% of caregivers were millennials under 30 years of age caring for their grandparents. http://www.caregiveraction.org/_doc/pdf/CAN%20Survey%20Fact.pdf

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Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Impacts to Employees over Time

• Increased mental stress• Physical fatigue• Financial hardships• Caregiver burnout• Diminished capacity

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Why is This Problem so Difficult to Solve?

• Complicated – Consisting of many interconnected parts or elements

• Complex – “Complexity refers to interesting patterns and structures that arise from the dynamic interaction of independent elements” –People are a major factor in complexity

Two Categories of Difficult Problems

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

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Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Solutions can be reliably calculated

Some problems are highly complicated

• Many interconnected variables and emerging data makes it almost impossible to predict the path reliably

• A different approach is needed for complex, adaptive systems based issues

Complex Challenges are Different

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Caregiving & Compassionate Care is a Complex Problem

Caregiving responsibilities that working Canadians have is impacting performance on many levels

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Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

The human element and emergent nature of caregiving challenges makes solution identification very difficult. Each persons path will be different

Knowledge needs to be transformed in to wisdom

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Knowledge needs to be transformed in to wisdom

A simple example is that: Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit while Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit. salad.

Wisdom is knowing a situation, and when to apply relevant knowledge, in the right way and the right place

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Example – A loved one has had a stroke and is being discharged home in three days:

Case 1 – 82 yr. old, widowed parentliving in an assisted living retirement home. Caregiver is the 41 yr. old son

Case 2 – 42 yr. old, married working mother who has two children aged 9 and 6. Caregiver is the 41 yr. old husband.

Even if the clinical presentation and damage caused by each respective stroke isIdentical, the needs surrounding support and caregiving are going to be vastly different in each case. Dozens of other variables will also impact what solutionsare needed and valid for each person and caregiver

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Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

The whole complex challenge of caregiving can leave even seasoned professionals feeling more than a little stressed out.

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Public Policies for Caregivers

• Leave for Caregiving (income replacement while on leave)

• Protection from discrimination at work• Home care, access to rehabilitation• Financial Assistance

• Caregiver Allowance• Cash for care• Medical and caregiving expense reimbursement

• Information and Support for Caregivers

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Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Canada’s Compassionate Care Leave Policy• Introduced in 2004/2005• All provinces provide job-protected, unpaid leave, typically

for 8 weeks

• Compassionate care benefits are paid to persons who have to be away from work temporarily to provide care or support to a family member who is gravely ill with a significant risk of death within 26 weeks

http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/ei/faq/faq_compassionate_care_individuals.shtml

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Federal government introduced 6 weeks of Compassionate Care Benefits (federal policy for partial income replacement). To be eligible for compassionate care benefits, you must apply and show that:your regular weekly earnings from work have decreased by more than 40%; andyou have accumulated 600 insured hours in the last 52 weeks. Mandatory two week waiting periodRemuneration of 55% of average insurable earnings($48,600 in 2014) to a max of $514 per week.

Canada’s Compassionate Care Leave Policy

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

• Home care operates separately from the health care system. Significant degree of variation between & within provinces. Limited resources, availability etc.

• Many charities and volunteer organizations across Canada.

• Limited or no availability of funding to develop or provide caregiver supports currently

Home Care & Community Support

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Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

http://canadianimmigrant.ca/news-and-views/consequences-of-recent-changes-to-live-in-caregiver-program

External Caregivers

• Support from CCAC in Ontario or other similar programs which vary by province(more details later). Limited support

• Hiring of local caregivers such as PSW(Personal Support Workers). Typical hourly rates range from $23 - $28/hour depending upon geography

• Live in Caregiver program – Redesigned in December, 2014 by Federal government. Lengthy wait time for applications. $1,000 application fee required. Not viable for rapidly evolving caregiving scenarios http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm-ec.asp

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

• The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care runs the Assistive Devices Program (ADP) to help people who have long-term physical disabilities get needed equipment and supplies.

• In most cases ADP pays 75 per cent of an approved price.

• If you are receiving social assistance benefits, you may be eligible to receive more funds

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/programs/adp/about.aspx

Financial Assistance

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Alberta – Alberta Aids to Daily Living http://www.health.alberta.ca/services/AADL-clients.html

Assistance for Manitobans with Disabilities http://smd.mb.ca/smd-services/assistive-

technology

Newfoundland and Labrador – Special assistance program http://www.health.gov.nl.ca/health/personsdisabilities/fundingprograms_hcs.html#sap

Currently there is no universal access system in British Columbia http://www.personalsupports.bc.ca/psp/supports/equipment_and_assistive_devices.page?keyword=Equipment+and+Assistive+Devices~

Financial Assistance

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Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Some Best in Class Strategies by Employers• Donated unused vacation and sick days bank for

employees dealing with a caregiving challenge• Ensuring adequate caregiving accommodation is

being provided to employees dealing with a caregiving challenge

• Support programs to address the growing incidence and prevalence of caregiving needs amongst employees of an organization

Note – I would be happy to send you a report that details Canadian employer best practices surrounding caregiver support jhutton@firsthealthcare.ca

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Data is Growing Exponentially

• Because compassionate and eldercare challenges are complex, very challenging to manage

• The amount of knowledge being created by humans isdoubling every 12 months

http://www.industrytap.com/knowledge-doubling-every-12-months-soon-to-be-every-12-hours/3950

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

How Can You Keep Ahead of the Curve

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Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Get Someone Else with Wisdom to Do the Task

Knowledge needs to be transformed in to wisdom

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

• Web based tools and portals• Comprehensive caregiving support & coaching

service(YourNurse)• Health condition review and referral programs(Best

Doctors etc.)• Employee Assistance Programs(Morneau-Shepell etc.)• Supporting employees by providing tools and services

they can access that take away the complexity and uncertainty of the caregiving process

Employer Support

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

• Professional Association Resources and Sponsorships

• Not for profit/charitable organizations such as Veterans Affairs if the individual qualifies

• Unions

Other sources of help

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Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Personalized and Customized Caregiving Reports and Guidance

An Registered Nurse with expertise in caregiving guidance will produce a personalized caregiving report for your loved one based on our detailed Eldercare Select Assessment Tools.

Service can be accessed for any caregiving situation the employee is involved with.

Employees will receive a customized plan based on living situation, family wishes, health condition and geographic location.

This service is free of charge to YourNurse Members. 1-888-327-1500

www.yournurse.ca

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

“The worst sin towards our fellow creatures, is not to hate them,but to be indifferent to them; that’s the essence of inhumanity.”George Bernard Shaw

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Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Take Action!

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Dealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the WorkplaceDealing with Compassionate and Elder Care Responsibilities in the Workplace

Questions?Jason HuttonVice President of Sales and Strategic DevelopmentFirst Health CareTel: 905-305-9551 ext. 238Email: jhutton@firsthealthcare.ca

www.yournurse.ca