CAREGIVING AND WORK - CONSEQUENCES, CORRELATES, AND WORKPLACE RESPONSES

The American population is aging, and the fastest growing segment is t hose most likely to need care: persons age 85 or older. At the same ti me, women, the traditional caregivers, are entering and staying in the labor force in ever increasing numbers. To ensure that needed workers will be available and remain productive, more and more employers are trying to help employees manage both their work and their caregiving d uties. The research on employees who are informal caregivers to elder family members and the workplace-based programs designed to assist the se caregiving employees is reviewed. In particular, findings concernin g the prevalence of caregiving among employees, the characteristics of employee caregivers, the effects of caregiving on employees and their work and of work on caregiving, the types of workplace accommodations made, and the types of workplace initiatives implemented are summariz ed. The implications of the phenomenon of employee caregiving for the education and training of professionals in gerontology are discussed.