Caregivers Take on a Second Shift in an Aging America

Increasing numbers of American employees are being torn between caring for their aging parents and staying employed, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune . According to polls, more than 66 percent of caregivers face job-related problems, working less, taking unpaid time off, retiring early, or getting warned about performance or attendance. The United States does not guarantee workers paid leave to care for loved ones, and few employers offer it. "We are still using caregiving policies from the 1950s, when many more families were composed of one breadwinner and one stay-at-home parent providing unpaid family care," says Sarita Gupta with Caring Across Generations. "Families today are overwhelmed by the physical, emotional, and financial costs of both child care and senior care." The National Alliance for Caregiving estimates that informal caregiving costs U.S. businesses up to $33 billion in missed productivity every year, while workers who quit or cut back on their work hours risk their current and future financial security to avoid the high cost of home care, assisted living, or nursing communities. Paid family and medical leave has the support of both congressional Democrats and Republicans, but disagreement on payment models has inhibited a solid plan. Democrats generally have favored publicly-funded social insurance programs, while Republicans tend to prefer tax incentives.