Back-up elder care as an employee benefit

Freddie Mac, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation in the United States, recently announced back-up elder care as a new employee benefit:

The new elder care program, offered through Bright Horizons, a national provider of work-site child care and now elder care services, will assist employees whose elder relatives need non-medical care such as meal preparation, bathing, grooming and companion services. Those eligible include employees’ and their spouses’ or partner’s direct relatives, including parents, grandparents and other adult dependents. Employees pay a minimal fee of $15 per day for in-home elder care services for up to 20 days per year and must reserve daily in-home care for a minimum of four hours. Medical care professionals are also available at an additional fee based on the type of medical service needed.

I know from personal experience how difficult it can be to find someone at the last minute for adult care, especially for those that need only “companion services”. While it’s difficult to get last minute child care, too, at least there are some times when a child can go to work with you, but, not so much with an adult needing care.

I’m sure there may be issues that stem from this type of arrangement, such as when the back-up caregiver is a “stranger” to the person needing care, I do think that a program like this is a great step in recognizing those employees with caregiving responsibilities.