Keynote: ACL’s Policies and Programs to Support the Nation’s Family Caregivers

Acting ACL Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging Alison Barkoff shared the Administration for Community Living’s perspective on policies and programs that support community living for people with disabilities, older adults and both family and professional caregivers. Among other priorities, her remarks focused on the current status of the historic national strategy for family caregivers from the RAISE Family Caregiving Advisory Council and the Advisory Council to Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren.

Working While Caregiving

Dr. Jennifer Olsen, Chief Executive Officer at the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers (RCI), presented research findings from their recent white paper Invisible Overtime: What employers need to know about caregivers. RCI is working to provide specific solutions for employers. Dr. Olsen described a recently launched new RCI employer initiative Working While Caring which will seek to partner with employers to pilot new and innovative solutions to keep caregiver employees attached to the labor market for the long term.   PPT Slides

Facilitated by Dr. Jennifer Olsen, Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers

Panelists:

Greg Olsen, Acting Director, New York State Office for the Aging, PPT Slides

Lynn Gall, Family Caregiver Support Programs Manager, Bureau of Aging and Disability Resources, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, PPT Slides

Irina Vyazunova, PhD, Senior Research Scientist, R & D Promega Corporation, PPT Slides

Diana Clark, Benefits Manager - Human Resources, Promega Corporation, Madison, WI

Kim Falk, Respite Employer Engagement Coordinator, Munroe-Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, PPT Slides

Unprecedented numbers of family caregivers were forced to leave the labor force during the pandemic as they struggled to manage new or intensified caregiving duties, work, family responsibilities, and the resulting stress. A significant majority of family caregivers, at least 60 percent, are still in the labor force. Both scenarios demand a more responsive and supportive workplace moving forward. Not only are the health and financial well-being of these caregivers at-risk, businesses may be losing billions of dollars annually from lost productivity, replacement costs for employees who quit because of overwhelming caregiving responsibilities, absenteeism, and workday interruptions.

This panel explored strategies to support working caregivers, including statewide public/private partnerships, outreach to identify and serve working caregivers, best practices to educate and engage employers in respite care, and caregiver support and workplace flexibilities.