Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) & Support for Caregivers in the Workplace
Many people are unaware that their company has an Employee Assistance Program, and if they are aware, often employees do not understand the resources available. This article serves as a guide for employees who are acting as family caregivers to access support and resources through your employer that you didn’t know existed.
Much of this disconnect happens because employees, caring for aging family members, friends, and partners are often unaware they are considered a Family Caregiver or informal Caregiver. The lack of self-identification as a caregiver often means people do not actively seek assistance, although they know they need help. The average working adult caregiver spends 3 hours every day on caregiving responsibilities, and about 24 hours each week. This is in normal times, and does not account for accidents, emergencies, and other events. Employees are faced with a range of emotions each day while trying to balance caregiving responsibilities and work requirements. This is where EAPs come in.
An EAP is a program hired as an additional benefit service to employees of a company. Not all companies have them, but if you do, here’s what they are all about. An EAP by definition is: a confidential workplace service that employers pay for and is free to employees. An EAP is commonly the most overlooked, yet valuable, benefit offered by organizations large and small. Counseling services provided by an EAP help employees manage life-stressors of all kinds. An EAP can help employees stay focused on their duties at the workplace, keep productivity and performance high, and genuinely improve the employee’s well-being in the process.
As an important note, all EAP related interactions and activity are protected by HIPAA, and cannot be disclosed to the employer.
In addition to 1-on-1 counseling (usually limited to a certain number of sessions, it will vary with the type of EAP plan your company has) here is a list of services EAPs offer in relation to caregivers:
Help with navigating Medicare/Medicaid
Researching in home care, assisted living, hospices, rehabilitation, and adult day cares in your area.
Counseling for anyone in your household
Transportation Services
Grief Support
Caregiver Support Resources
Elder Law Attorneys
Meal delivery
Home Safety
Geriatric Case Management
End of Life Resources
Alzheimer Support
Now that you know about EAPs and what they can offer, here’s a quick checklist to get started:
Contact your HR or Employee Benefits colleagues to inquire if your company has an EAP. You can also check on your company website.
Call the number for the EAP helpline, most are available 24/7. You can call this number an unlimited number of times. * Remember that since the EAP is managed outside of your company, none of the activity you take with the EAP can or will be reported back to your employer.
Make an appointment to speak with a councilor and inform them of your caregiving situation. They will not only offer support, but can connect you to other resources within the EAP network.
Ask for what you need! If you aren’t sure, make that clear as well, but make sure to advocate for yourself and what you know will help you.
EAP benefits will extend to people who live with you and those who don’t. If you’re caring for someone who does not live in your home, as an employee covered by that EAP, it will extend to your beneficiaries. Every EAP is different, it’s worth taking the time to understand what’s available because you might find the relief you need and never know it was right there the whole time!
Sources:
2020 Report Caregiving in the U.S. - AARP. (2020, May). Retrieved April 2, 2021, from https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/ppi/2020/05/full-report-caregiving-in-the-united-states.doi.10.26419-2Fppi.00103.001.pdf
Proctor, P. (2020, October 06). What is an employee assistance program (eap) & how does it work? Retrieved April 22, 2021, from https://fitsmallbusiness.com/what-is-an-eap-employee-assistance-program/
How employee assistance programs (eap) help family caregivers. (2020, January 03). Retrieved April 22, 2021, from https://happyhealthycaregiver.com/eap-employee-assistance-program/