Dane County Dementia-Friendly Businesses (Click Here)
Dementia-Friendly Employer Resources
Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, is a national health epidemic that cannot be ignored-particularly in the workplace, where an increasing number of employees are balancing career responsibilities with the challenges of caring for a loved one. A 2006 study by the MetLife Mature Market Institute found that caregiving costs American employers between $17 billion and $34 billion in lost productivity annually, taking a significant toll on both employers and caregiving employees.
Caregiving creates many life changes for caregivers. Serving as a caregiver can impact a person's physical health, create financial strain, and increase general stress levels, which can lead to depression. These changes have the potential to affect an employee's job performance, but with the proper workplace support, employed caregivers can successfully manage both their caregiving and workplace responsibilities. This Dementia-Friendly Employers Toolkit is designed to provide employers with the knowledge and tools needed to successfully support employees who are caring for a loved one with dementia.
IMPACT | TOOLS | RESOURCES |
The following information is available for both employers and employees.
- A sample letter employers can use to provide information and resources to their employees.
- Employed Caregiver Needs Assessment Survey
- Employer Solutions for Family Caregivers
- AARP ReACT Employer Resources
- What Every Employer Needs to Know: Helping Employees Balance Work and Eldercare Guide
- Beyond The Workday: Finding Balance For The Working Caregiver Resource Guide For Employers
- Supporting Employees with Eldercare Needs: What Employers Can Do
- Creating a Supportive Environment: Getting Started
- Report: Best Practices in Workplace Eldercare
- Workforce Benchmarking Tool
- U.S. Department of Labor: Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- Wisconsin’s FMLA Law
Click here for a list of Dane County Dementia-Friendly Businesses.
Alzheimer's and Other Dementias
The following section includes resources specific to Alzheimer's and other dementias.
- 24-hour helpline
- 1-800-272-3900
- Social workers with master's degrees are available to consult by phone 24/7
- Alzheimer's Association
- Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter
- South Central Wisconsin Chapter, serving Columbia, Dane, Green, Grant, Iowa, Lafayette, Richland, Rock, and Sauk counties.
- Greater Wisconsin Chapter, serving Chippewa Valley, Fox Valley, Green Bay, La Crosse, Rhinelander, Spooner, Superior, and Wausau.
- Alzheimer's & Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin
- Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral Center
- Alzheimer's Foundation of America
- Alzheimer's Workplace Alliance
- Department of Health Services "Tips for Working Caregivers" brochure, P-01174 (PDF)
- Green-Field Library Resource List - Workplace, Eldercare, and Alzheimer's Disease, 2014 (PDF)
- National Institutes of Health Senior Health: Alzheimer's Disease and Alzheimer's Caregiving
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- The National Task Group - Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Dementia
Caregiving Resources
The following section provides general caregiving resources useful to individuals providing care for a family member or friend with dementia as well as others needing care.
- Aging and Disability Resource Centers: Information about community resources, managing finances, legal and medical issues, the special care needs of people with dementia, and much more.
- AARP Caregiving Resource Center
- Caregiver.com (See the article "A Silent Crisis: Working Caregivers Are Begging for Help")
- Caregiver Statistics Fact Sheets
- Caregiving Hacks (Tips from AARP: "You don't have to be a do-it-yourself expert to make caregiving tasks easier")
- Family Caregiver Alliance
- National Alliance for Caregiving
- Share the Care(link is external)
- Tips for Working Caregivers brochure, P-01174 (PDF)
- VA Caregiver Support: Features a Caregiver Toolboxand tools for "Building on the Small Moments of Self Care"
- Video balancing caregiving and work
- Work and Eldercare
- The National Task Group – Early Detection Screen for Dementia
- Mind and Memory Matters – Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Dementia
- WI Board for People with Developmental Disabilities Self-Directed Health Care Tool Kit
Aging and Disability Resource Center of Dane County.
The mission of ADRC is to support seniors, adults with disabilities, their families and caregivers by providing useful information, assistance and education on community services and long-term care options and by serving as the single entry point for publicly funded long-term care services while at all times respecting the rights, dignity and preference of the individual.
The Department of Health Services (DHS) is one of the largest and most diverse state agencies in Wisconsin, with an annual budget of roughly $11.5 billion and more than 6,100 employees. DHS is committed to protecting and promoting the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin, making sure everyone can live their best life.
DHS oversees Medicaid, the single largest program in the state budget, and other health and social service programs. DHS ensures that the care provided to Wisconsin residents is high quality and provided in accordance with state and federal law; ensures that Wisconsin taxpayer dollars are being used effectively and efficiently by preventing and detecting waste, fraud, and abuse; and works to continue Wisconsin's long tradition of strong health outcomes and innovation.
DHS works with local counties, health care providers, community partners, and others to provide alcohol and other drug abuse prevention, mental health, public health, implementation of long-term care, disability determination, regulation of state nursing homes, and numerous other programs that aid and protect the citizens of our state. DHS also oversees seven 24/7 institutions: three centers for the developmentally disabled; a facility for mentally ill inmates; two psychiatric hospitals; and a facility for treating sexually violent persons.