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Caregivers lose on work advancement, study says By Erica Noonan, The Associated Press BOSTON – Two-thirds of those acting as caregivers for elderly relatives lose out at work by forgoing 'promotions, pay raises and training opportunities, a new study suggests. The study, conducted by the National Center for Women and Aging at Brandeis University and the National Alliance for Caregivers, focused on 55 people who spent more than eight hours per week providing unpaid care. Among the 30 subjects who could provide detailed financial information, the average loss over a lifetime was $659,139 in wages, pension and Social Security benefits, according to results- to be released today. Although the study involved relatively few participants, it marked the first to detail financial losses for caregivers, said Dr. Phyllis Mutschler, executive director of the National Center for Women and Aging. Previous studies have largely focused on what it would cost to replace a caregiver, not on losses suffered by the individual providing the care, she said. “I think caregivers will be aghast," Mutschler said. "This is a store of wealth, a loss that continually occurs. "Once a person has fallen off an earning trajectory, they don't tend to regain ground. From the time of retirement to when they die, caregivers will have fewer benefits." The project’s participants came from a 1997-study of 1,509 people that found that 1 in 4 families had at least one member who had provided care for an elderly relative or friend in the past year. The 55 subjects were older than 45 and had provided either physical or administrative care for a parent, spouse, sibling or friend for an average of eight years. Sixty-nine percent reported arriving late or leaving the workplace earlier than normal. Sixty-seven percent reported taking time off during the day to attend to an elderly dependent. Sixty-four percent of respondents said they used sick days or vacation time for caregiving duties. Twenty-two percent said they took a leaving of absence, and 20 percent reduced their career from full- to part-time. Sixteen percent quit their jobs, and 13 percent retired early to devote more time to an elderly person. Some said caregiving affected their ability to advance at work. Twenty-nine percent said they had passed -up a promotion or training assignment while 25 percent said they had refused a transfer because of their caregiver duties. A smaller percentage said they were not able to acquire new job skills or keep up with important advances in their fields. Because three-fourths of caretakers are women, the financial burden rests disproportionally on them, Mutschler said. The impact of lost worker productivity due, to elder care on corporate America is estimated at between $11 billion and $29 billion annually, said Sandra Timmermann, a gerontologist for Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., the study's sponsor.
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