Community partnerships allow students to thrive In Part 1 of this four-part series, we covered how 1 in 5 individuals in the workforce is a family caregiver. These are individuals caring for a loved one with a chronic condition, often an elderly parent. (VBF April 2022) In Part 2 we discussed WHY employers should seriously think about supporting their caregivingemployees and included numbers around productivity and retention. (VBF June 2022) Now let’s dive deep into the inequities within care and how supporting caregivingemployees is a vital piece of your inclusivity efforts.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT By Kimberly Whiter Executive Summary: Before 2020, one might think of professional development and conjure images of workshops or lunch-time sessions listening to speakers. Now with the world functioning so differently, so should our professional development.
Kimberly Whiter is CEO and Owner of Elder Care Solutions, a local business with national reach that guides families to a financially positive caring and aging experience through their unique technology-driven solution.
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Women - Currently, 67% of individuals providing unpaid care to a loved one are female-identifying. Women are more likely than their male counterparts to carry the responsibilities of care. In fact, if we painted a picture of what a typical caregiver in the U.S. looks like, it would be a working woman, with children, also caring for aging parents. Two big challenges this places on women are emotional stress and how much of their time is being consumed by juggling a career and care. It’s no wonder working caregivers seriously consider quitting their job (20% do) or reducing their hours (44% do). People of Color Black and African American Caregivers - Caregivers in the Black and African American communities provide more chronic care than other demographics. Black and African American elders have more chronic conditions like heart disease, complications from stroke, high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s/ dementia, and diabetes. This means that caregivers from these communities find themselves caring for longer periods of time. American Indian and Alaska Native Caregivers - Family caregivers in the American Indian and Alaska Native communities experience higher financial strain when caring for their elders. These communities face unique difficulties facing financial situations and paying for elder care expenses. Hispanic Caregivers - Hispanic family caregivers experience the highest difficulty coordinating and arranging care services for their elderly loved ones. Many times, health professionals and health services are not positioned to effectively translate care needs into this community’s native language or cultural contexts. Asian American and Pacific Islander Caregivers - Family caregivers in the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities face significant barriers accessing affordable health insurance and quality health services, contributing to health disparities as major chronic health conditions often go undiagnosed or untreated. Southeast Asian American Caregivers - Family caregivers in
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