Stepping up in all the ways is a must do.

HOSPITALS STEP UP FOR CAREGIVERS

In the face of severe healthcare worker shortages and strikes, some hospital systems are recognizing the value of caregiver involvement. They are using philanthropic or endowment dollars to create caregiver supports.

When I learned of these programs, I had a flashback of my early caregiving days. That feeling of longing, wishing I had someone with actual experience and sense to help me manage my Mother’s care.

Knowing someone could confirm I was doing something right, or tell me in the moment what could be improved? Or, having access to materials that could prepare me for what was to come. What a difference that would have made!

These new supports vary across organizations and regions. They can include: libraries with caregiver-specific resources, mental health support (Mount Sinai) for caregivers, and training focused on guiding caregivers across “high-demand conditions such as dementia, heart disease, cancer and organ transplantation.”

Think about the potential of “hands-on training” for challenging illnesses such as dementia! The ability to access supports in a clinical setting could be a game changer! It could truly help us care for loved ones and ourselves.

As hospital systems identify systems that are sustainable for their caregivers and staff, I hope we hear more stories of the quantifiable difference these resources make for caregivers. When caregivers are supported, the burden on healthcare staff is reduced (not in all cases, but definitely quite a few cases).

I know the difficulty with hearing news like this is the harsh reality of the lack of availability of these supports across the country. I get that, but I am grateful there is a start to this work. If anyone has interacted with any of these programs, please let me know. I’d love to hear more.

REDDIT AMA “LIVE” FORMAT

Did anyone tune into A Place for Mom’s “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) on Reddit last week? I tuned in for a few minutes. In the moment, some of the responses from the organization were ok. However, the more involved questions weren’t addressed as I’d like to see.

In all fairness, there were a plethora of questions. I plan to go back and review the comments again.

I did receive results from last week’s poll about a live activity for our community. Most folks seem to favor a Zoom chat with questions and answers. Stay tuned. I’ll see if I can make something happen within the next couple of months.

And, this might be random, but if you missed the “Beyond 9 to 5: Facilitating Good Jobs for People with Unpredictable Schedules” webinar, the replay is now available: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/beyond-9-to-5-facilitating-good-jobs-for-people-with-unpredictable-schedules/.

IT’S 2026, YET WOMEN LEAVING THE WORKPLACE IS STILL HAPPENING

In lieu of our usual “News You Can Use” section, I had to share a staggering (in all the bad ways) statistic. According to Catalyst, over 455,000 women left the US workforce between January and August of 2025!

Almost half a million women, in this country, left the workforce last year! Why you might ask? “42% of those who voluntarily exited reported caregiving responsibilities, including the cost of childcare, as the strongest factor behind their decision to leave.”

We’re losing talent, experience, and ambition because we don’t provide what caregiving employees need and wages are not keeping up with childcare costs.

However, the research highlighted three things employers can do to step up and help. If you’re in a position to do so, please share this information with your organization to support your colleagues (and perhaps even yourself).

• Provide schedule flexibility. Catalyst research finds that flexible work models are critical for women to best manage their life and work needs and ensure retention.

  • I do this with my team. Life just lifes at times and the last thing I want my staff to worry about is stressing about making a meeting that can be rescheduled.

• Implement policies that relieve caregiving pressures for all employees. This can include paid emergency care days, financial subsidies, on-site childcare, flex spending accounts, and other benefits.

  • We have a paid leave policy and during times of sickness, I remind my team of it. I wish we had some of the other components mentioned, and hope we can work towards them.

• Conduct regular audits to ensure fair pay and growth. Women are still left behind in pay, representation, and opportunity, preventing them from career advancement that drives retention.

  • Our organization has run two of these audits in the three years I’ve been there. This is a good practice and requires the buy-in of executive leadership to ensure change results.

Read the report findings here. Please read them and share with others.