The truth is that in the future, far more of us will combine work with an eldercare responsibility for one or both of our parents. The stats are truly frightening.
But will employers really start putting relevant benefits in place any time soon? I am not sure.
With notable exceptions such as IBM, Shell, P&G and BT [Group], few employers do much around eldercare other than talk excitedly about it.
We were bigging up 2012 as a tipping-point year. When it came to female leadership, we finally saw diversity, benefits and talent working in unison. But when it comes to proving staff might benefit from some help in combining work with an eldercare commitment, there is still a degree of scepticism.
Unfortunately, I think it will be a few more years before most employers understand just how big the need is or will be, or how relatively cheap and effective it is to put support in place.
That is a pity, because now is the best time to start the conversation.
Ben Black is director at My Family Care
