Photo caption: Lori DeLone, Cambia’s CIO, Peggy Maguire, Cambia SVP of Corporate Accountability and Performance
Forty-nine million people in the U.S. provide care for loved ones living with serious illness. With an estimated economic value of $470 billion, unpaid family caregivers play a huge but often invisible role in our society. According to AARP, 60 percent of family caregivers nationally are currently employed while caring for a spouse, parent, child or other family member. Half of those caregivers are Generation X or Millennials.
Given the growing impact of family caregivers who are juggling family obligations and work, the Portland Business Journal recently convened a “Caregiver Today Roundtable” to discuss caregiving in the context of today’s workplace. Peggy Maguire, SVP of Corporate Accountability and Performance at Cambia, and Lori DeLone, Cambia’s CIO, joined representatives from AARP, Springs Living senior communities and Oregon Health Care Association to provide their insights on caregiving from both an employer and employee perspective.
“There are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers and those who will need caregivers.” - First Lady Rosalyn Carter
“For 10 years, we have invested in palliative care for people living with a serious illness to advance the field, treat the whole person and help transform the experience of individuals and their families,” said Peggy. “We see caregiving as a logical extension of that work.”
In 2016, Cambia launched the Cambia and Regence Palliative Care (CARE PC) Employee Resource Group, where employees meet once a month to share their experiences in caregiving, as well as give feedback on the company’s work in palliative care. Today, 100 people regularly meet to support each other.
Lori DeLone, who has cared for two aging parents, said, “Cambia recognizes the need to evolve our services and products to put people at the center of the health care experience.” For Lori’s family, the challenge in caring for her elderly parents, both over 90, was to address all aspects of their life, including their psycho/sociological needs, not just their medical needs.
The entire discussion was captured in a special Portland Business Journal report, “Caregiving Today,” that was released on April 30.
