CAREGIVING AND WORK: CONSEQUENCES, CORRELATES, AND WORKPLACE RESPONSES

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Abstract
The American population is aging, and the fastest growing segment is those most likely to need care: persons age 85 or older. At the same time, 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 duties. The research on employees who are informal caregivers to elder family members and the workplace‐based programs designed to assist these caregiving employees is reviewed. In particular, findings concerning 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 summarized. The implications of the phenomenon of employee caregiving for the education and training of professionals in gerontology are discussed.