It s an issue that will become even more critical within the next five to 10 years. It s not only an emotional issue, but a financial one, too. But demographics will change that and put elder care on a lot more employers radar screens. Employee demographics were a big factor for Fannie Mae. The firm s employees average 40 years of age.
Research shows that women are more likely than men to be elderly caregivers.
Dale also acknowledges that the four senior executives above her experienced some form of elder care problem, and that this experience helped cement the corporation s commitment to the program. The segment of the population age 65 and over will grow from 34.6 million in 1999 to 82 million in 2050 a 137 percent increase, according to the latest national population projections by the U.S. Bureau of Census. Between 2011 and 2030, the number of elderly in this country will nearly double from 40.4 million to 70.3 million. Over the next decade, the total number of employed caregivers nationwide will reach between 11 million and 15.6 million, or roughly one in 10 employees, according to a large-scale 1997 study by the National Alliance for Caregiving. Observers say such statistics prove that elder care is a broad issue that either is affecting, or soon will affect, a large portion of every employer s workforce, including senior-age employees, older employees with ill spouses and those with elderly parents and relatives.