11/14/13 – Senior Solutions announces availability of tier system for its Caring Workplace Program

Companies utilizing the Senior Solutions Caring Workplace caregiver support program can now take advantage of a new tier system, allowing them to choose from several program options based on their financial resources and the needs of their employees.

The Caring Workplace program offers comprehensive and cost-effective options for eldercare services specifically designed to address the needs, concerns and demands of the employed caregiver while reducing the related productivity costs for businesses. Previously, companies taking part in the Caring Workplace paid a flat contact fee to gain access to all the services offered through the program. The new tier system approach gives companies the chance to choose from one of five tiers with varying prices and services.

“The Caring Workplace was established in 2003, and since then, countless St. Louis companies have benefitted from the many services it offers,” said Ann Bannes, Vice President of Senior Solutions, a service of St. Andrew’s and St. Luke’s Hospital. “In working with the companies, however, what we found was that our Standard program was not feasible for smaller size companies.  In order to reach out to more family caregivers, we researched smaller companies and developed options that would work best with their resources and the needs of their employees.”

For those wanting the full range of Caring Workplace services, a Standard program tier is still available. This tier offers face-to-face individual consultation and care management in the home, office or community; distribution of educational information and resources via email; invitations to quarterly onsite lunch and learns and webinars featuring aging experts; quarterly tabling events and ongoing access to the Senior Solutions website.

For smaller businesses, Senior Solutions has introduced four additional tier options which offer varying levels of services with costs designed to fit any budget. The types of services offered within these tiers include consultation and care management via the phone or internet, access to email and online resources, monthly support meetings, invitations to quarterly lunch and learns, access to webinars featuring aging experts and opportunities to participate in quarterly tabling events. All of the tier options are affordable and designed to meet the needs of smaller organizations.

“The Caring Workplace is one of the best benefits we offer our employees,” said Joe McKee III, President and CEO, Paric Corporation. “The program provides our business with a cost effective solution that is felt both at the business and employee level.  The excellent Senior Solutions team provides supportive services that help employees gain access to resources that reduce their stress and improve their job performance.”

Recent research indicates that funds spent on caregiving have a payback to the employer of 2.5 to 5 times the cost. Companies like Paric that offer the Caring Workplace have praised the program’s ability to help build employee morale, and the role it’s played in helping them retain talented staff members and avoid the high costs associated with replacement, retraining, workday interruptions, unpaid leave and reductions in hours worked due to eldercare responsibilities.

“Statistics indicate that $33.6 billion is lost in corporate America every year due to the lower productivity, decreased performance and overall decline in quality of life that can result from the stress and heath concerns experienced by working caregivers,” said Bannes. “This is why the Caring Workplace is such an important asset, and we hope our new tier system will encourage new companies to embrace the program and make its services available to their employees.”

To learn more about the Caring Workplace and the availability of the new tier system, or for information on how area employers can begin offering this service to their employees, call (314) 726-5766 or log on to www.seniorsolutions-stl.com.

Senior Solutions provides seniors and their family caregivers with options designed to to address the issues of aging.  With over 50 years of experience and 100+ years combined expertise, Senior Solutions has the knowledge to ensure elders retain their dignity and receive the respect they deserve.  

For more information, contact:

Shelene Treptow, The Hauser Group, (314) 436-9090

Ann Bannes, Senior Solutions, (314) 726-5766