The LifeWeavers network benefit

An employee benefit program that helps family caregivers balance work, life, and caregiving

VNA Private Care operates the LifeWeavers Network Caregiver Support Center. Seen here are John Paul Marosy, VNA PC executive director; Joyce A Tremblay (left), VNA PC clinical services manager; and Carol Westheimer, geriatric care manager.

In any given year, more than 50 million Americans are providing care for a chronically ill or disabled family member or friend. Many of them are also raising families and working at careers that have taken years of education and commitment to build, and they comprise 13 percent of the workforce. That's a number that will only increase as Americans live longer with more chronic health conditions.

Being a caregiver exacts a toll from both workers and employers. According to the National Family Caregivers Association, 62 percent of caregivers have had to make adjustments in their work schedules, responsibilities, or opportunities for advancement. At the same time, from an employer's perspective, caregiving has the potential to decrease worker productivity. It also affects absenteeism, turnover, and early retirement. Human service professionals note that they are now receiving more calls requesting eldercare services than childcare services.

John Paul Marosy is executive director of VNA Private Care, an affiliate of Visiting Nurse Association of Boston. When Marosy, who has authored two books on caregiving aimed at family caregivers and workplace managers, considered the issues surrounding family caregivers in the workplace, he decided that directly addressing those issues was something VNA Private Care already had the expertise to do.

This year, VNA Private Care began providing an innovative benefit for employees of Goodwin Procter, a national law firm headquartered in Boston with a total of 1,700 employees. The program, known as the LifeWeavers Network Caregiver Support Center, is a resource those employees can use to find information, guidance, and support in providing care for a family member. The goal is to help employed caregivers bring their lives into better balance.

How the Caregiver Support Center works

According to the Society for Human Resource Management's 2008 Employee Benefits Survey, one out of every five responding organizations said they offer eldercare referral services as a benefit. Ann Lamson is director of human resources for Goodwin Procter. So many people in America, she says, are supporting a disabled adult that it's become important for companies to find ways to help them meet their care needs so they can continue to work and be productive.

Marosy categorizes the needs of employed family caregivers as:

• time and flexibility
• timely information
• financial solutions
• emotional support

The LifeWeavers Network Caregiver Support System is structured to meet those needs. Marosy says, "The whole objective is to help family caregivers have peace of mind and remain productive at work for as long as possible."

The way the program works is that Goodwin Procter employees and their family members can call the Support Center 24 hours a day for an unlimited number of free consultations. During working hours, a care manager handles the call directly. During off hours, a covering care manager will return the call within four hours. A family member who takes advantage of the benefit does not even need to be in the same geographic location as the Goodwin Procter employee. So, for instance, a Boston attorney's brother who lives in Tennessee can call in to arrange an assessment for his father whose care he directs.

Expertise and easy access are key

The Support Center is staffed by caregiver support specialists. That includes experienced geriatric nurses and social workers who have access to information on resources in every part of the country. They listen to the caller's questions and concerns. In response, they provide information both on public programs and benefits that the person being cared for may qualify for, and they can also advise on private care options. The call is then followed up with a mailed package containing information and educational materials regarding both the discussion and the available resources.

VNA PC also offers a number of online resources, seminars, and webinars. In June, Marosy made a presentation on "Balancing Eldercare and Work" at the Goodwin Procter office in Boston, and it was broadcast to the company's other offices around the country. Employees were able to interact via audio links during the presentation.

According to Marosy, the emotional support needs of caregivers are often overlooked. The LifeWeavers program gives employees access to a counselor who cares and who is trained to handle acute and chronic situations. The counselors also collaborate with the human resources department to coordinate referrals for ongoing support. "It's beneficial to know you have a coach at your disposal 24 hours a day," Marosy says.

After the initial consultation, an employee can opt for additional services such as an in-home evaluation by a professional geriatric care manager, private home care services, or referrals to healthcare providers or community programs.

Challenges for employed caregivers

Carol Westheimer, MEd, LMHC, is a geriatric care manager for VNA Private Care. She says that most adult children are experts in their professional field. But that experience has not prepared them to access the reliable information they need to make both short- and long-term decisions about an elder's care. The angst of sorting out responsibilities, needs, and options is distracting at work, and the stress can have negative health consequences. To further complicate matters, often family members being supported are in denial about how much support they really need to stay independent.

For families in the Greater Boston area, Westheimer and the other VNA Private Care geriatric care managers can perform a comprehensive nursing, medical, psychosocial, environmental, and financial assessment. They specialize in complex cases, and they can put customized services in place for families. The LifeWeavers Network has access to professional geriatric care managers as well as attorneys, housing experts, and equipment providers nationwide.

Westheimer says, "In multigenerational families where the adult is juggling caring for children, finding resources for aging parents, and maintaining their career, people don't know what to do first." To make things even more difficult, becoming a caregiver means the person is changing an existing relationship with the parents. "When there is a shift from the historical parent-child relationship," Westheimer says, "you're doing concrete tasks and emotional sorting that is exhausting."

Westheimer coaches caregivers in how to have those difficult conversations about giving up driving, accepting an aide to help with bathing, or considering the move to assisted living. She also helps them sort out who can best hold that conversation in a respectful and effective way.

A benefit yields benefits

Lamson has received positive feedback about the LifeWeavers Network from Goodwin Procter employees. She says, "People have been pleased that we offer this benefit even if they are not facing these issues today. They know they could be in the short term."

Marosy recently reviewed data on the services Goodwin Procter employees requested from the LifeWeavers Network. The most requested services for family members of all ages were:

• assessment of an elder family member by a geriatric expert either by telephone or in person
• information on supportive living options for elders, children with disabilities, and mental health housing
• assistance finding adult day health centers
• answers to questions about Medicare and Medicaid eligibility
• home care resources

A service originally offered to Goodwin Procter employees is now being made available free of charge to the public. The VNA of Boston Family Connection provides the tools caregiving families need to store healthcare documents, centralize information about medications and appointments, connect with a support network to share information, and customize the preferences for the person receiving care. Families can connect and collaborate no matter where they live.

When we provide care for a family member, Marosy says, that is actually a rehearsal for our own aging. "We baby boomers have to do a better job of planning for our own aging," he says. When we do, as individuals and organizations, the benefits are immediate." That's the guiding principle that underlies the LifeWeavers Network.

How to find out more

For more information see:

National Family Caregivers Association

National Alliance for Caregiving

Visiting Nurse Association of Boston

VNA of Boston Family Connection

VNA Private Care offers an informative LifeWeaving e-newsletter

John Paul Marosy. Elder Care: A Six Step Guide to Balancing Work and Family, 2nd edition; Bringing Eldercare Home, 2008.

Janet M. Cromer is a freelance writer and regular contributor to On Call. She is a recipient of the 2008 Will Solimene Award for Excellence in Medical Communication. She received the award — her second — for her three-part series on medical humanities in Boston-area hospitals that appeared last year in On Call.