Caregiver support programs and benefits are a must-have

I am an entrepreneur, wife, and mom of three.

I’m also a caregiver, for the second time around. There are 53 million family caregivers in the U.S. What is not often talked about is the fact that 61% of those caregivers are also working full time jobs.

My two experiences of caregiving – for my mother several years ago, and for my father now – have changed the trajectory of my career. But both have led me to the same conclusion: there is a deep need for comprehensive caregiver support, and employers play a critical role in building this care infrastructure.

My first experience as a family caregiver started when my mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I had no idea how long the journey would last, but after years of chemo and various treatments, my parents eventually moved in with me, and I became my mother’s primary caregiver.

With three young kids at home and a busy career, I’m not sure I even knew what a caregiver was – or that I had taken on that role. I didn’t have the awareness or vocabulary around it, as it’s not something our society openly highlights and discusses.

I quickly learned that the responsibilities of caring for my mom involved things I wasn’t trained or prepared to take on. I was thrust into medical tasks like draining her stomach several times a day and staying on top of her regimented and very specific meal preparations. I quickly found myself in small emergencies on a nearly daily basis, like hunting down a hospital bed that would fit in our living room.

As this new reality consumed the moments I had between being a mom and full-time employee, it became clear that something had to give. Eventually, I made the difficult decision to leave my job, as 32% of working caregivers eventually do.

As a woman in the workplace, and as a working mom, this was an enormously difficult decision that had an emotional and financial impact on my family. After two years of being her primary caregiver, my mom passed away in my home. I was left in disbelief at the lack of support and recognition for family caregivers.

In the time after my mom passed, I began to uncover some hard truths about caregiving. Sixty-one percent of caregivers are female and 39% are people of color. With caregiving duties affecting our ability to be productive at work – or in a third of the cases, to continue working – I began to recognize that caregiving is an equity issue, and supporting and retaining family caregivers is a critical component of DEI&B initiatives for employers.

Fast forward seven years later, and just four days after raising Series A funding for the caregiving tech startup I co-founded, ianacare, I found myself in a full circle moment when my father was rushed to the ER. This event led to months of intense caregiving – including IV antibiotics, external drainage bags, and other extensive care needs.

This time around, I know I’m a caregiver, and I share it openly to shift the narrative away from silence.

I will not be forced to choose between my career and caregiving – instead, I’m able to rely on a network of support and resources that enable me to be fully present for both my work and care responsibilities.

My experience is not unique, and today’s working caregivers need similar support. Over 60% of employees are caregivers and at least 1 in 5 employees is an intense caregiver defined as providing 20+ hours per week on top of their jobs. Family caregiving is the second-largest reason employees are leaving the workforce. No one can argue with these numbers.

A major increase of employees find themselves in these situations coming out of the pandemic than ever before, and this population is only set to grow. Post-pandemic care structures coupled with the aging baby boomer population means more employees are facing financial, logistical, and emotional burdens that may not have existed just a couple of years ago.

These employees will need new and innovative ways to integrate work, life, and care for their loved ones.

Read more: Caregiver benefits: A competitive advantage that can help make a difference

As employers, caregiver support programs and benefits are no longer an opportunity, but a must-have. These programs will not only directly impact your bottom line, but will become a core differentiator and competitive advantage for recruiting and retaining top talent.

Jessica Kim is the co-founder and CEO of ianacare, which partners with employers to provide an infrastructure of support for working caregivers leveraging intelligent tech and human navigators.