Caring for an aging parent or spouse is demanding. It can mean having to take time off work for doctor’s appointments, prescription pick ups or even emergencies. But unpaid family caregivers are a growing population. There are nearly 900,000 in Arizona alone.
Working caregivers often struggle with stress and with work-life balance. But not all caregivers can leave the workforce to provide unpaid care for their loved one.
"For the most part, the workplace often supports women raising children or parents raising children," said Dana Marie Kennedy, state director of AARP Arizona. She says employers don’t always recognize when a worker is caring for an aging parent or spouse.
"And so I think more and more, we know that this is, we are becoming an aging nation, an aging state, and we really need to be able to build in some flexibility to be able to support those workers so they can continue to care for their loved ones," Kenney said.
Kennedy says flexibility could mean hybrid or remote work, flexible hours, offering support groups within the company setting, as well as providing caregiver resources.
"Caregiving is very expensive and it's often unpaid. And so whatever we can do to support with a little bit of flexibility, as well as some companies are actually offering caregiver leave. And I think that that really shows a goodwill to an employee that they're valued," Kennedy said.
