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LifeCare Polls Reveal Leading Causes of Employee Stress and Caregiving Disagreements

Asked to identify their leading cause of stress, 23 percent of respondents to an online poll conducted by LifeCare selected “finances” and 21 percent chose “job/career”—the top two responses. Other leading causes of stress respondents cited in the LifeCare poll were:

	Lack of control over their time — 12%
	Issues with spouse or significant other - 12%
	Child care/parenting issues — 8%
	Personal issues — 7%
	Home maintenance — 5%
	Medical issues — 4%
	Elder care issues — 3%
	Pets — 1%
	Other — 4%

Tips for Family Members Providing Elder Care Explain your loved one's needs and your decision to take on the role of caregiver. Review all the positive aspects of caring for your loved one: renewing or beginning a relationship, strengthening family ties and/or allowing your loved one to live in her/his home for as long as possible. Openly discuss roles and responsibilities, determining who will do what and when. Consider hiring a professional geriatric care manager to help divide up responsibilities or guide decisions about your loved one's care, especially if you and your family members cannot agree. Sometimes everyone is more willing to listen to a neutral third party. Pick a time to meet as a family on a regular basis. Be willing to revise your caregiving plan each time you meet. Caregiving roles can change as a loved one's needs change. Make lists of your needs and problems as they arise to help clarify the kind of help that you may need.

“For the past few years, finances have stayed at the top of the list in our member polls regarding stress,” notes Marianne C. Stook, LifeCare's vice president of Marketing Services. “That's one of the reasons we continue to recommend that clients strongly consider offering professional financial counseling services. These services are extremely cost-effective to deliver and they can make a tremendous difference—especially in reducing stress levels.”

Caregiving Poll Results
In another online poll, 37 percent of members who care for an older loved one said that “division of responsibilities” is the leading cause of caregiving disagreements among them and their family members, while 18 percent chose “agreeing on a long-term care plan.” Other leading causes of caregiving disagreements cited by respondents were:

	Long-distance caregiving issues — 16%
	Financial issues — 16%
	Communicating effectively with one another — 13%

“Caring for older loved ones can easily take a toll on family relationships,” notes Marianne C. Stook, LifeCare's vice president of Marketing Services. “While one family member is often deemed the main caregiver due to proximity, financial means, sibling assumptions and even gender, that doesn't mean other siblings or family members don't want a say. And for primary caregivers who also hold regular jobs, balancing work, actual caregiving and family dynamics, the pressure and stress can be significant. But caregivers who have siblings and other family members around should treat these people as allies—even when things aren't going perfectly. If they keep the best interests of their older loved one in mind, they can all help one another get through the challenges of caregiving.”

Stook also recommends that elder caregivers talk to their employers about their situations, use supportive resources like LifeCare, and ask whether their organizations offer any additional programs (such as flexible work arrangements) or support systems that can help them manage their responsibilities more effectively.

For information on LifeCare's financial, legal and/or Successful Aging^SM programs, please contact your account manager or call us at 866-675-3751.