Caregiving Employees Need Support; Elder Care Expo 2008 Offers Solutions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
St. Paul, Minn., March 6, 2008 -- Caregiving not only affects individuals and their families, but also the organizations for which the caregivers work. United States businesses lose up to $33.6 billion per year in productivity from caregivers who take time from work responsibilities, according to the 2007 "MetLife Caregiving Costs Study." This translates to an average cost of $2,110 per year per employee who is caring for a loved one.
Elder Care Expo 2008 is designed to help the half-million caregivers in Minnesota make more-informed care choices. The expo will be held May 9 and 10, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day in the Education Building, Minnesota State Fairgrounds, St. Paul, Minn.
"Among our different audiences, we are encouraging Minnesota companies and organizations to send their employees to Elder Care Expo," says Elder Care Expo Co-founder Julie Groshens. "Employees who are caring for a dependent family member spend lots of time trying to find answers on their own, which takes a mental and physical toll on them personally and creates enormous productivity losses to the organization. But companies that help their employees deal with these caregiving challenges can benefit greatly."
AARP reports that "companies reap a $3 to $14 return on every $1 they spend on elder care benefits," adding that both employers and employees benefit when workers have options that make caregiving more manageable.
Elder care responsibilities don't discriminate between women and men. Though women are traditionally associated with caregiving, men make up 45 percent of today's working caregivers, according to AARP.
In addition, many of these employees are parents raising children while simultaneously caring for an older family member -- making these caregivers the so-called "Sandwich Generation." AARP says that while 30 percent of employees have caregiving responsibilities, 40 percent of them also have children at home.
Elder Care Expo 2008 can help alleviate some of the stress associated with making care choices. The expo will showcase leading Minnesota vendors that provide products and services to help people make better elder care decisions. Sponsors include Augustana Care Corporation, BlueCross BlueShield of Minnesota, Presbyterian Homes and Services, ACCRA Care Corp, Humana, and WCCO Radio.
Elder Care Expo 2008 features trusted resources about aging from the State of Minnesota, the county agencies, community aging organizations and elder care experts. Expo participants can receive a free long-term care consultation and leave with a plan.
More than 90 information-packed, educational sessions will include topics such as elder care basics; understanding insurance, financial and legal issues; navigating home healthcare issues; identifying and choosing the right housing; exploring Medicare Part D choices; and many other topics.
Find more information about attending, sponsoring or exhibiting at Elder Care Expo 2008 by visiting http://www.choosingeldercare.com or by calling (651) 204-0266. Expo tickets are $8 per person and can be purchased online or at the door.
About Elder Care Expo:
Elder Care Expo 2008 is produced by a team with more than 50 years of experience in consumer events, educational programming and gerontology. In addition, they have personally been involved with hospice volunteer work and caregiving to older family members, while raising children. Today, one in five adults is responsible for managing some aspect of the finances and/or healthcare of a family member who is 65 or older, and approximately 80 percent of home-care services are provided by family caregivers. Elder Care Expo is Minnesota's first educational event designed to bring together government agencies, nonprofits and private organizations under one roof and with one simple goal: helping baby boomers, their parents and seniors plan for and find solutions for their elder care challenges. Elder Care Expos, LLC, also publishes the Choosing Elder Care blog at http://www.choosingeldercare.com/blog .
Contact:
Steve Dahlberg
Elder Care Expos, LLC
info@choosingeldercare.com
(651) 204-0266
St. Paul, Minn., March 6, 2008 -- Caregiving not only affects individuals and their families, but also the organizations for which the caregivers work. United States businesses lose up to $33.6 billion per year in productivity from caregivers who take time from work responsibilities, according to the 2007 "MetLife Caregiving Costs Study." This translates to an average cost of $2,110 per year per employee who is caring for a loved one.
Elder Care Expo 2008 is designed to help the half-million caregivers in Minnesota make more-informed care choices. The expo will be held May 9 and 10, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day in the Education Building, Minnesota State Fairgrounds, St. Paul, Minn.
"Among our different audiences, we are encouraging Minnesota companies and organizations to send their employees to Elder Care Expo," says Elder Care Expo Co-founder Julie Groshens. "Employees who are caring for a dependent family member spend lots of time trying to find answers on their own, which takes a mental and physical toll on them personally and creates enormous productivity losses to the organization. But companies that help their employees deal with these caregiving challenges can benefit greatly."
AARP reports that "companies reap a $3 to $14 return on every $1 they spend on elder care benefits," adding that both employers and employees benefit when workers have options that make caregiving more manageable.
Elder care responsibilities don't discriminate between women and men. Though women are traditionally associated with caregiving, men make up 45 percent of today's working caregivers, according to AARP.
In addition, many of these employees are parents raising children while simultaneously caring for an older family member -- making these caregivers the so-called "Sandwich Generation." AARP says that while 30 percent of employees have caregiving responsibilities, 40 percent of them also have children at home.
Elder Care Expo 2008 can help alleviate some of the stress associated with making care choices. The expo will showcase leading Minnesota vendors that provide products and services to help people make better elder care decisions. Sponsors include Augustana Care Corporation, BlueCross BlueShield of Minnesota, Presbyterian Homes and Services, ACCRA Care Corp, Humana, and WCCO Radio.
Elder Care Expo 2008 features trusted resources about aging from the State of Minnesota, the county agencies, community aging organizations and elder care experts. Expo participants can receive a free long-term care consultation and leave with a plan.
More than 90 information-packed, educational sessions will include topics such as elder care basics; understanding insurance, financial and legal issues; navigating home healthcare issues; identifying and choosing the right housing; exploring Medicare Part D choices; and many other topics.
Find more information about attending, sponsoring or exhibiting at Elder Care Expo 2008 by visiting http://www.choosingeldercare.com or by calling (651) 204-0266. Expo tickets are $8 per person and can be purchased online or at the door.
About Elder Care Expo:
Elder Care Expo 2008 is produced by a team with more than 50 years of experience in consumer events, educational programming and gerontology. In addition, they have personally been involved with hospice volunteer work and caregiving to older family members, while raising children. Today, one in five adults is responsible for managing some aspect of the finances and/or healthcare of a family member who is 65 or older, and approximately 80 percent of home-care services are provided by family caregivers. Elder Care Expo is Minnesota's first educational event designed to bring together government agencies, nonprofits and private organizations under one roof and with one simple goal: helping baby boomers, their parents and seniors plan for and find solutions for their elder care challenges. Elder Care Expos, LLC, also publishes the Choosing Elder Care blog at http://www.choosingeldercare.com/blog .
Contact:
Steve Dahlberg
Elder Care Expos, LLC
info@choosingeldercare.com
(651) 204-0266
Labels: aging, aging parents, baby boomers, caregiving, elder care, ElderCareExpoNews, long-term care, minnesota, organizations, retirement
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