Worcester Business Journal

12 Worcester Business Journal | September 4, 2017 | wbjournal.com Caregiving in the U.S., by the numbers BY EMILY MICUCCI Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer F OC U S S M A L L B U S I N E S S Catering to the Sandwich Generation Small businesses aren't as beholden to employees thrust into the new trend of adult caregiving, but they still must find a way to operate and retain talent M ost working professionals know the angst coming with raising children and meeting the demands of the workplace. Managing sick days and school vaca- tions, and making it to extracurricular activities while meeting deadlines, is an unrelenting challenge. Now, imagine doing all of that while handling the care of an aging parent or other relative. For more and more Americans, this is becoming a reality as the population ages and as people have chil- dren later in life. The median age of first- time mothers in the U.S. increased 1.4 years to just over 26 between 2000 and 2014, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the median age of first-time mothers holding bachelor's and master's degrees were 28 and 30, respectively, according to a 2015 study by Pew Research Center. . Meanwhile, the Family Caregiver Alliance published data in 2016 finding 34.2 million Americans provided unpaid care to an adult age 50 or older – the vast majority of them family members. The median age of caregivers was 49.2, signaling many people who are taking care of aging family mem- bers – probably kids, too – are in their peak career years. "We're talking about 40-year-old people, having kids and making it all work," said Angela Polletta- Penny, who is operational director at the Saint Francis Adult Day Health Program in Worcester. "And God forbid anything happens to your parents." Polletta-Penny said this population is known collo- quially as the Sandwich Generation, since they're between caring for their chil- dren and their parents. Given the state of most companies' policies on paid time off for caregiving (most don't offer it), Polletta-Penny said professionals have to find other solutions for care of aging parents. "You get vacation and sick time, and then what?" Polletta-Penny said. 'A burden on both ends' When employees have to take time to care for aging parents, small businesses face greater challenges, as their cowork- ers are challenged to be flexible and still meet business needs, said Vanessa Costa, principal of Advantage Benefits Group Inc.in Worcester. Costa said small businesses aren't beholden to the federal Family Medical Leave Act protecting an employee's job while they take care of a family member. Some may allow employees to take time off when possible, but not every work- place is able to handle absent employees. This puts small business owners and managers in the tough position of being compassionate to their employees' needs and retaining top talent, but the rising trend disproportionately impacts small businesses where fewer coworkers are available to cover another's duties. "I don't think there's any easy answers, and it's a burden on both ends," Costa said. Venessa Costa, principal, Advantage Benefits Group Source: Fallon Health 18 Average number of hours spent on caregiving per week Caregivers who are employed full time 56% 6.6 Additional workdays missed due to caregiving 18.5% Drop in caregivers' work productivity $5,531 Average annual spending on caregiving costs $2,110 Annual cost to employers due to lost productivity, absen- teeism of caregiver Angela Polletta-Penny runs an adult day care center, which helps provide relief for professionals who are thrust into the role of caring for parents and other adults. P H O T O / E D D C O T E

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