Last modified: Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Indiana University adopts new eldercare benefit
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2009
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University announced today (April 1) it will provide its nearly 18,000 full-time employees with a new eldercare benefit offered by Indianapolis-based My Health Care Manager.
"Taking care of parents is an increasingly stressful responsibility that not only affects our faculty and staff personally but also costs the university in absenteeism and increased health care expenses due to the stress it places on employees," said Dan Rives, IU's associate vice president for university human resources. "As more of our employees balance work demands with raising a family and taking care of their aging parents, many of whom live thousands of miles away, it is the right time to help our faculty and staff with this benefit, while also containing health care cost increases and other university expenses."
Photo by: Christopher Ludtke
New benefit to help employees balance caring for an aging loved one and work
The benefit includes a consultation session, which is covered by the university. A My Health Care Manager employee who is a registered nurse will participate in a conference call with family members to identify the issues and available options for each unique situation. My Health Care Manager then makes available discounted services that are paid for by the employee. These include an in-depth analysis and customized reports about caregiving issues, in-home consultation -- anywhere in the U.S. -- by a registered nurse who can perform an assessment and develop detailed care plans, and ongoing assistance.
The benefit becomes available to full-time employees at all the campus locations today (April 1). More information will be available at https://www.indiana.edu/~uhrs/.
"Indiana University is our first university to provide this important new employee benefit. They join Clarian Health, Barnes and Thornburg, Ice Miller, Baker & Daniels, Katz Sapper and Miller, Brightpoint, Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman, the State of Indiana, Wooden McLaughlin and Ziegler Financial in offering the innovative program," said Alan Stanford, president and CEO of My Health Care Manager. "As our society ages, we are finding a high level of interest by employers to help their employees manage eldercare pressures."
The impact of eldercare on working adults is found in stress-related employee health claims, absenteeism, workday interruptions and often losses to the work force as some employees eventually quit their jobs to take care of their parents. A recent MetLife study estimates this to be a $34 billion expense to U.S. employers, or a loss of approximately $5,000 per caregiving employee. Employers offer the eldercare benefit to help alleviate some of the caregiving pressures.
About My Health Care Manager
My Health Care Manager LLC is an objective source of assistance for older adults and their families concerning the complex issues and options of aging. Based in Indianapolis, the company provides services through area, national and employer programs. My Health Care Manager helps older adults achieve better management and control of their total health care, longer independence and greater peace of mind for themselves and their loved ones. My Health Care Manager is a professional, voluntary benefit service and does not provide direct health care. The company practices a holistic approach to aging and older adult care by helping families understand and manage multiple physicians, medications, treatment plans, living options, insurance, legal matters and other issues. Its Web site is www.MyHealthCareManager.com.
