While many employers have Alzheimer’s information and links on their corporate Web sites, other employers and organizations are taking digital support a step further.
By Beth Baker Comments 0 | Recommend 0
ome promising workplace support strategies for employees whose loved ones have
Alzheimer’s disease involve low-cost technology. Many employers have Alzheimer’s
information and links on their corporate Web sites. Others have gone a step further:
Intel partners with the National Family Caregivers Association
to offer Connecting for Care, an online support network for employees and the wider
community.
"Caregiver’s Friend: Dealing With Dementia" is a work-site-based
Internet multimedia program developed by the Oregon Center for Applied Science in
Eugene. The program, funded by the National Institute on Aging, offers individualized
help and coping strategies through videos and text. In a study, participants using
the program for only 32 minutes over a 30-day period reported significant improvements
in depression, anxiety and stress. The program is now on the market for $40.
A pilot Wireless Interactive Networking project, developed by researchers at Massachusetts
General Hospital with National Institute on Aging support, offers employees caregiver
services and a tool for monitoring elders at home. Through remote sensors, employees
were able to check whether the elder had taken medications or had eaten lunch. They
also had access to an online support group moderated by a geriatric nurse with a
direct link to Alzheimer’s Association staff, among other features. Participants
reported increased productivity and reduced stress. "It translated into increased
morale and loyalty," says Diane Feeney Mahoney, director of gerontechnology at Massachusetts
General Hospital’s Institute of Health Professions. "They felt their bosses appreciated
what they were going through, and that really made them feel much more satisfied
at work." Feeney Mahoney says she is optimistic that the program will go on the
market in two to three years.
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ome promising workplace support strategies for employees whose loved ones have
Alzheimer’s disease involve low-cost technology. Many employers have Alzheimer’s
information and links on their corporate Web sites. Others have gone a step further:
