Increasingly baby boomers are trying to juggle a professional life in pre-retirement mode, perhaps children in college, and now a new phenomenon: aging parents. In an article from Knoxvillebiz.com today, we learn that employers are starting to reach out to those caught between multiple generations in offering schedules and other things as a way to ease the caregiver-employees into it.
That can be as simple as providing resource materials and referral services, unpaid leaves of absence, dependent flexible spending accounts or counseling. Workers can also take advantage of the Family and Medical Leave Act, which allows an employee up to a total of 12 work weeks of unpaid leave annually.
The reason I bring this story up is because long term care insurance can solve this issue for baby boomers when they get older. For that reason, it almost seems like the industry should market itself not to baby boomers but to the kids of baby boomers, for they stand to gain the most. I do agree, though, with one comment in the story that life is not all about play. For those who are saddled with the responsibility of caring for elderly parents, there is some solace in knowing that the care is at home, in a loving environment.
