Benefits April 22, 2010

Baby Boomers Express Worry about Caregiving Affecting Work

April 22, 2010 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The demands of balancing a full-time job and caring for a family member are a major source of stress for many Baby Boomers and are impacting their productivity and their health, according to new research by The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. and ComPsych Corporation.

Reported by

Rebecca Moore

The survey of Americans born between 1946 and 1964 who accessed ComPsych’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) found younger Baby Boomers, ages 45 to 54, are carrying the largest burden of family care responsibilities, with more than half saying they’ve taken time off from work to due to their caregiving responsibilities.

More than 80% of Baby Boomers said they feel moderate to high levels of stress related to the care or support they are giving to children, spouses. and/or parents. In addition, nearly half of young Baby Boomers surveyed (46.6%) reported feeling worried about how caregiving is impacting their job, while older Baby Boomers (ages 55 and older) are most concerned about postponing retirement as a result of their role as caregiver.

Younger Baby Boomers’ worries could be linked to the fact that more than half of this group (68%) said they have missed work or left early from work due to their caregiving duties in the last six months. Half of those workers said they missed eight to 16 hours of work in the previous six months.

More than three-quarters of Baby Boomers reported taking up to 16 hours of paid vacation time to care for another person.

In addition, The Hartford’s Barbara Campbell said in a press release that an analysis of leave data by The Hartford found that Baby Boomers take more leaves due to their illness than any other age group of workers. “We are concerned that many Boomers are either becoming sick or hurt as a result of prolonged stress,” she said. “In addition, stress can impact their ability to recover from an illness or injury.”