Elder Care Choices (ECC), a division of Senior Services, Inc., was developed in 1995 in response to a growing demand within the local business community for a program to help employees manage their work and caregiving responsibilities.  A consortium of the area's leading employers, including R. J. Reynolds Tobacco, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and Sara Lee, worked with Senior Services to create this innovative service.

As a telephone-based consultation and referral service that provides a central source of eldercare information, Elder Care Choices is part of a subscribing companies employee benefits packages.  The service is designed to save employees time in identifying and locating appropriate resources.

Over the last ten years, the program has continued to grow and expand as more employers are realizing the dramatic impact that caregiving can have in the workplace.  Elder Care Choices is currently services 34 corporate clients representing 34,000 local employees.

ECC subscriber-company clients needing to access the members-only website should return to the drop-down menu and click on the ECC login link.

ECC – The Solution to a Growing Problem

Employers are faced with a variety of challenges today.  Recruiting and keeping good employees, while continually searching for ways to increase productivity, are top priorities for businesses in our fast-paced, competitive economy.  While constantly working on these challenges, employers recognize that a majority of their work force has a full schedule of family responsibilities in addition to their work. For many employees, a growing part of family life includes caring for elderly relatives.

The Bottom Line

·         Productivity can suffer when employees have time-consuming elder care responsibilities. The total annual cost of lost productivity to U.S. businesses has been estimated between $11 and $29 billion. (Met Life Study)  

·         The average cost of lost productivity per caregiver has been estimated at $2,500.  The impact on productivity can be seen in excessive phone calls on the job, absenteeism, arriving late and leaving early, quitting work, reducing hours and a lack of concentration and productivity.  (New York Times)

·         More than 9,000,000 Americans care for older persons while looking after their children at the same time.  (Work/Life Benefits)  

·         Two-thirds of caregivers of elderly forgo promotions, raises and training opportunities. (Brandeis University)

·         A survey of 450 employees showed that the number of companies offering eldercare resource and referral has nearly doubled since 1998.  (Mercer/Bright Horizons) 

Increasing Challenges

One of the major reasons for an increase in elder care is that people are living longer.  Since 1900, the percentage of Americans over age 65 years of age has more than tripled.  This growth is expected to continue with the older population experiencing major growth between the years 2010 and 2030, when the "baby boom” generation reaches age 65. 

Companies interested in getting information on 

becoming an ECC subscriber should call 725-0907

or send an e-mail to: ecc@seniorservicesinc.org