NEW YORK, March 25 (UPI) -- Corporate America is scrambling to help baby boomers, mostly working women, take care of frail, elderly parents, The New York Times reports.
Workers' obligations to their elderly parents frequently lead to absenteeism, on-the-job distractions or stress-related health problems for employees themselves. Companies are responding, said the newspaper, but analysts say they often rely on child care benefits as a model -- and that does not suit the needs of the elderly.
And -- as U.S. companies reduce spending in health insurance and pensions -- they most commonly offer benefits that cost them little or nothing, such as referral services and unpaid leaves.
Employees with ill parents -- estimated at more than 20 million -- can sometimes get benefits that would allow them to focus more on their jobs. The Times cited the availability of geriatric case managers who can help boomers understand how to use Medicaid and Medicare.
Companies that offer such services generally pay for at least part of the service, but such companies are rare. The Society for Human Resource Management, which represents more than 200,000 human resource and other corporate officials, said 39 percent of its members reported in 2003 that elder care benefits were "too costly to be feasible."
