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The experience and challenges of the last year and a half have caused workers to very clearly recognize the help they need from their employers to be able to focus on work and be as productive as possible.

As the population lives longer and workers age, eldercare for aging parents becomes as essential as childcare. Melinda Gates' latest caregiving report shows that the amount spent on aging-in-place home-care provisions for older adults ($151B) has surpassed childcare ($136B).

This may come as no real surprise as a growing number of older adults find themselves caring for aging parents. Often these people are working and caring for both aging parents and children at the same time in the ‘sandwich’ generation. The AARP Caregiving in the U.S. 2020 report shows that while caregivers span all ages, 56% of caregivers are over 50 and caring for another adult.

A study done by two researchers from the Harvard Business school found that all caregiving has an impact on worker productivity:

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The pandemic brought eldercare giving roles to the forefront as many workers worried about their parents and in some cases couldn’t even see them for months. Employees can use the stress caused in these times to truly highlight to employers their need for benefits like eldercare.

What kinds of benefits are out there for eldercare?

Eldercare benefits have a wide range of types and styles from guidance and advice to the caregiver, to care for the older adult, or support for a capable older adult to stay active and entertained.

• Care guides/coaches - These are often concierge-style services that help match an employee’s loved one with local third-party services and reduce some of the burdens of locating and arranging these services.

• Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) - Offer employees and their families educational and referral services around eldercare. These could include free or confidential assessments around the right programs and in some cases even counseling.

• Dependent Care Assistance Plans (DCAP) - This allows employees to set aside tax-free dollars for qualified elder care or daycare services. This can help provide up to $5,000 per calendar year in elder care assistance and reduce employees’ federal tax burden.

• Respite Care - This is short-term relief for primary caregivers that can be arranged in an afternoon or days in advance similar to how a babysitter is used for childcare.

• Alerts and emergency products - These can be a range of products that help employees stay aware of loved ones such as personal alarms.

• Aging in place virtual wellness memberships - Many caregiving responsibilities are directed toward/supporting technology usage or are a result of social isolation. Programs like GetSetUp are helping to train older adults on technology, plus go a step further by reducing social isolation through a social community of older adult peers. GetSetUp also offers regular health and wellness classes that allow older adults to develop the skills they need to maintain their independence and feel empowered.

When the benefits outweigh the income

While income is always a factor for a job candidate and existing employees, more and more employers are able to stand apart from the crowd with amazing benefits packages. As employees, it is important to assess benefit options with any offer and weigh them carefully. The benefits offered by a company often tell a lot about the value a company places on its employees and give a sense of how workers will be treated when life situations arise.

“We’re excited to expand our offerings to include corporate perks that benefit the elderly community and caregivers. Providing the highest quality discounts available is of high importance at Fond, and our partnership with GetSetUp ensures we are pursuing this goal.” - Taro Fukuyama, CEO, and Co-Founder of Fond Technologies, Inc.

Will you have the support you need to care for those you love and yourself?

To learn more about GetSetUp Employee Care Benefits please visit

https://www.getsetup.care/