Aging baby boomers, longer life spans and seniors opting to age in place are creating an unprecedented need for caregivers, including untrained family members.
To help them, the state and Northeast Business Group on Health have developed new resources for caregivers and their employers, respectively.
On Wednesday, the state Health Department rolled out a New York State Caregiver Guide during a ceremony at the Carter Burden Gallery in Manhattan. At least 1,000 copies of the book, which the state's health commissioner, Dr. Howard Zucker, called an early holiday gift to caregivers, will be distributed by seven organizations across the state.
About 3 million caregivers provide more than 2.6 billion hours of care to loved ones each year in New York, Zucker said in his remarks. The economic value of that care is $32 billion, according to the state figures.
"Our goal is to help caregivers in New York state, so that they can continue to do what they have done all along," Zucker said. The care they provide is a "labor of love," he said.
The caregiver guide includes information about care-team selection, legal and financial issues, and communication with health professionals, Zucker said. It provides resources for caregivers to make sure their own needs are being met. It was published with the support of the New York State Health Foundation in collaboration with the AARP foundation.
Also this week, NEBGH and AARP launched Digital Tools and Solutions for Caregivers: An Employers Guide, for human resources and benefits leaders to use in supporting employees who are caregivers.
NEBGH said a past survey found 9 in 10 employers were interested in providing online caregiving resources to their employees.
Employers are increasingly aware that caregiving is an issue that affects their workforce, said Candice Sherman, CEO of NEBGH, and they are seeking ways to support their workers.
"The result of that is enhanced productivity, decreased absenteeism, better morale, and also better health and mental health as well as a better family life for those employees who are affected in this way," she said. —Jennifer Henderson
More workers are also caregivers to a friend or family member on their off hours, and employers can provide digital tools to support them, according to “Digital Tools and Solutions for Caregivers: An Employer’s Guide” developed by the Northeast Business Group on Health and AARP.
“Digital tools are not solutions in themselves but they are an important component of a forward-thinking benefits package that can significantly ease the burden on caregivers’ time and can help diminish the mental and emotional burdens associated with caregiving,” guide states.
"The market for digital diabetes prevention and management solutions has continued to mature ... As employers refine the mix of programs and benefit strategies they offer their employees, NEBGH has developed this updated guide to reflect changes in the market and profile a current set of digital solutions available to employers in their efforts to help employees prevent and manage diabetes."
Two large organizations are collaborating to work with employers who want to offer digital tools to employee caregivers in New York City who are working from home.
Working together on the initiative are the Northeast Business Group on Health in New York City and AARP.
A survey of metropolitan employers found that nearly all were interested in providing employed family caregivers with the technology they need to work from home, such as digital platforms that connect caregivers who are treating loved ones to each other, medical management tools and in-home patient monitoring tools.
The need for such tools is great - it is estimated that one in six employees, an average, is working from home.
The Northeast Business Group on Health has updated its “Digital Tools and Solutions for Diabetes: An Employer’s Guide,” to include both enhanced and new solutions—and promising future innovations—to help employers help their workers better manage their diabetes, lower costs and ultimately save more lives.
The pharma company worked with the Northeast Business Group on Health in the initial development of the cancer care huddle program.
The Northeast Business Group on Health recently released a new guide, the first of its kind. “Genomic Medicine and Employers: Separating the Hope and the Hype” seeks to educate employers on what’s occurring in this field, and it’s the result of a roundtable of many stakeholders including employers, clinical experts, benefits consultants and genomic vendors.
Using employees' genetic information for diagnostic or therapeutic decision-making—known as genomic medicine—has the potential to lower health care costs through early diagnoses and treatments, but that promise comes with many caveats.
Earlier this year, the nonprofit Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH), an employer-led coalition, convened a roundtable with employers, clinical experts, benefits consultants and vendors to explore the relevance of genomic medicine to employers. The key takeaways are presented in a 24-page guide that NEBGH released Nov. 20, Genomic Medicine and Employers: Separating the Hope from the Hype.
"Employers are beginning to take a heightened interest in genomic medicine," said Candice Sherman, CEO of NEBGH. "They clearly want to better understand genomic medicine and know what guidelines they should follow in making relevant benefit decisions."
The world of genomic medicine and genetic testing is rapidly growing, leaving many employers to scramble what they’ll cover for their workers, according to “Genomic Medicine and Employers: Separating the Hope from Hype,” a report by the Northeast Business Group on Health.
The Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH) has announced the launch of a free guide to help employers better understand and make decisions about genomic medicine and genetic testing. The guide explains basic concepts, including the ways in which genomic medicine is being used for diagnostics and treatment.