A little discussed issue in our media is the impact of the phenomenon that sees middle-aged persons caring for their elderly relatives as they start to suffer from dementia and other diseases linked to advancing old age. Society is simply not prepared to handle this creeping issue that is affecting businesses.

A study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research has shown that in 2014, 50,000 people in the UK will leave paid employment to care for relatives with dementia.

In 2030, this figure will increase to over 83,000. This has a significant impact on businesses.

The proposal made by this research organisation is fairly simple: “companies must adapt the working environment to help sufferers and their carers in order to minimise the financial burden, and provide support to their workforce. Some businesses are reacting to these irreversible social changes. One in 12 of 1,000 companies surveyed have made attempts to accommodate the needs of a number of staff dealing with an issue of dementia in their family”.

The Public Health England and Alzheimer’s Society have launched the Dementia Friends campaign to promote awareness of the impact of dementia on workers. Well-known businesses like Lloyds Pharmacy, Marks and Spencer, Barclays, Lloyds Bank, Argos, BT and Bourne Leisure have pledged for their staff to become Dementia Friends.

Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the Alzeihmer’s Society, said: “From the shop floor to board rooms, dementia affects every workplace; from people struggling with the early symptoms of memory loss at work, to those juggling a job while caring for a loved one.”

Business leaders simply cannot ignore how dementia and other age-related diseases are affecting their top and bottom line.

However, not every business can afford to change the way it operates to accommodate workers caring for a sick elderly relative. Some micro usinesses are struggling to keep afloat and demand full commitment from their small workforce to keep cash flowing in the business.

While the main focus is on those dealing with a relative affected by dementia, the caring problem is much bigger as there are clearly insufficient care homes to take on all those older people who can no longer live independently.

Employees should also compensate... in the form of more focused commitment on productivity at the time actually spent working

With public finances being stretched in most countries, it is unlikely that we will see a surge in the building of care homes for the elderly owned by the state. Many private entrepreneurs are seeing this need in the market and are providing private care facilities for those who can afford to pay the not-insignificant fees.

Some public-private partnerships are being successful in keeping costs of residential care for the elderly under control.

The solution that is most likely to produce positive results in the handling of this problem is the re-engineering of business processes to factor in the inevitable need of some workers to share their jobs with others as they can no longer work the traditional 40-hour week. These changes in processes will not be painless. Trade unions need to put less pressure on employers to improve the financial aspect of their work conditions, and concentrate more on employers granting concessions to those workers who face genuine challenges to cope with disruptions in their private and working lives as and when they are called to care for sick children or elderly relatives. This goes against the traditional strategy of some trade unions who aim to maximise take home pay for all their members whenever a new collective agreement comes up for renewal.

Employees should also compensate for the added cost to employers of providing social support to those in their workforce who need to miss work to care for their ageing relatives. This compensation should be in the form of more focused commitment on productivity at the time actually spent working. There is a risk that added social support benefits granted by employers are soon taken for granted and the output of workers granted special working conditions will fall below acceptable standards. Complacency about the cost of empowering workers in need of social support could easily lead to such support being withdrawn as businesses realise that they can no longer afford to provide it.

It is easy but unrealistic to expect private sector employers to provide support for employees dealing with dementia or any other old age disease. Trade unions, the government as well as individual workers must do their part to change the way we work to deal with age-related problems.

johncasarwhite@yahoo.com

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