MaineBusiness.com

What is the problem you are trying to solve?

Our population is aging. Maine is the oldest state in the nation. This means more and more individuals and families are dealing with the challenges that come from aging loved ones. In 2004, 136,959 family members in Maine were providing care for a parent or grandparent. Based on the trends, that number is probably much higher today. In addition, many of the people providing care are also raising children. This group is known as the Sandwich Generation. They are struggling to care for their own families while also caring for aging parents.

The long term care system is complex and overwhelming. Many do not want to think about their own or their loved one’s aging so they do nothing until they are forced to by changing health care needs. Because of this, many people are in crisis while they are trying to navigate a very complex system. At the same time, over 60% of family members providing care are employed creating an even more complex, stressful situation for them and their family. Here are the facts:
• Nationally, 15 to 25 percent of all employees are involved in providing care to aging relatives. Employers with older workers or more women can find even higher percentages.
• Nationally, working caregivers cost businesses as much as $33.6 billion a year because of absenteeism, wasted time, cost of hiring replacement workers and other lost productivity according to a study recently published by the MetLife Foundation and the National Alliance for Caregiving.
• The MetLife study reveals:
o 56% of employed caregivers said they were less productive at work
o 51% said they had to take time off during the work day for eldercare
o 30% reported being absent for a full day to deal with eldercare matters.
• Many caregiving activities can be handled only during the business day – emergencies, medical appointments, professional consultations, and problem solving.

Individuals, families and employers all need support to deal with this emerging issue. Elder care is already, or will soon become as large a challenge for businesses as child care.

These issues can’t be eliminated but services can be provided to businesses and families to ease the way. The MetLife Study states:
“A focus on individualized care planning, information, flexible work arrangements, and managers and supervisors who are sensitive to family caregivers can make a world of difference to caregivers and to the workplace.”

That is the purpose of LifeStages.

What products or services do you offer to solve the problem?

This organization is dedicated to providing information and referral services, education, geriatric care management, elder mediation and consulting support on eldercare issues to the Maine community. Our primary channels are through the workplace and to individuals through the development of relationships with the financial and legal community.

By providing these services primarily through the workplace, LifeStages provides cost-effective support to employed caregivers so they can stay productive and focused on their jobs knowing their loved ones are receiving quality care. And we become the broker for the business allowing them to outsource all of their elder care needs meeting a significant employee need at a low cost.

Just imagine a workplace where a man who wants to move his mother to Maine can make one call and an elder care expert can put a package together of the top facilities that can best meet their needs while he stays focused at work. Or a woman who thinks she may have to leave her job because her caregiving role has become so great, can speak with an elder care expert who can help her get the resources she needs and develop a plan so she can stay at work knowing her mother is being well cared for. The vision of LifeStages is to provide the support employed caregivers need providing them peace of mind while enabling them to remain as committed and productive employees.

LifeStages provides a team of elder care professionals who can help families regardless of their elder care challenge. Our team includes:
• Elder care advisors who have hands on experience and knowledge of local elder services who can provide information and referral support,
• Geriatric Care Managers who are nurse case managers and occupational therapists who can provide full, holistic assessments and care plans for families struggling with complex care and dementia issues, and
• Elder Mediators who have years of experience and specific elder care training, knowledge and expertise to help families reach consensus on potentially difficult and challenging issues.

Our service package to employers includes:
• Lunch and Learn programs: We offer a series of programs either 6 or 12 times a year. In 45-60 minutes, we can educate employees about elder issues and resources they can find here in the local area. Topics may include:
o Common terms and definitions of Aging
o Home Care – how to get the right support for your loved one at Home
o Stress Management for caregivers
o Choosing an Assisted Living Facility or Nursing Home
o Caregiving from Afar – what to do when you live here and your elderly loved ones don’t?

• Customized training for key managers: Our program gives managers the tools they need to identify and coach employees. LifeStages partners with a business’ HR department to produce a 90 minute training session. The session includes:
o Why is eldercare an issue?
o How to recognize an eldercare problem
o Case studies
o What resources are there in the community to help?

• Information and Referral Services: Employees can stay focused at work while we do the research and provide them the information they need. We can be available by phone or on-site when needed. Information and referral support may include information on health care, advanced directives, housing issues, home care, nursing homes, Medicare, MaineCare, and end of life issues. We can also refer them to appropriate local elder care resources when needed. The primary benefit of this service for an employed caregiver is providing access to a knowledgeable resource who can listen and support a caregiver’s decision making enabling them to feel secure they are doing the right thing for their loved one.

• Geriatric Care Management: Our elder care professionals can visit the aging parent or relative and do an assessment and develop a plan of care which ensures a higher quality of life and greater well-being for the relative and less stress for the family.

• Elder Mediation: Our mediators, who are specially trained in elder care, help families reach consensus on difficult decisions including driving, care needs, safety, family involvement, etc.

Our cost-effective package is customized to each employer’s unique needs. We determine this by providing a confidential survey to all employees and delivering to employers the percentage of employees who are caregivers, their needs, and the bottom line impact to their organization of their caregiving roles. We can then design a package to include:
• 6-12 Lunch ‘n Learns/year
• 1-2 Management training sessions/year
• 1-3 hours of free information and referral services for a determined number of employees
• 1-3 hours of Geriatric Care Management and Elder Mediation services and/or discounted rates
• Quarterly reports on usage and feedback

Elder care and its impact on the workplace are only going to grow in the coming years. Top companies are starting to realize they have a role to play. Maureen Corcoran, VP of Diversity at Prudential Financial says it best: “Elder care resources help employees care for their loved ones and continue to care about their companies. A smart organization educates employees about its business needs so they understand the best way to contribute over time. Likewise, it educates itself about its employees’ life needs so it can support and retain them over time. If an employee is forced to choose between caring for a loved one and devoting themselves to work, the company will lose. That loss will most certainly be in work quality and, more deleterious in the long term, in the loss of the hearts and minds of employees in their commitment to the firm.”

In addition, as the economy starts to pull out of this recession, companies will need to focus on their employees who have been shaken by the current economic turmoil. Ryan Johnson, Vice President of Research at WorldatWork states:
“One of the many challenges employers will face as the economy recovers is how to re-engage employees, and especially top performers. Taking a total rewards approach and looking at all of the ways companies can motivate and retain—including compensation, benefits, work/life initiatives and career development—is going to be essential.”

LifeStages and elder care services can make a difference for employers, individuals and families.

Who is your target market?

LifeStages’ target market is leading edge small, medium or large employers in Southern Maine who employ many Sandwich Generation employees and/or Baby Boomers who are dealing with the aging of their parents.

Why should your customers buy from you?

For businesses, offering services is a win/win. They not only help existing employees enabling them to perform at their best, but they also help themselves and their recruiting and retention efforts. Studies have shown for every $1 spent on elder care services, they receive a benefit of $3 to $5 in increased productivity and reduced costs.

In addition, LifeStages offers a team of experienced professionals in elder care. Because elder care is so complex, it is very difficult, if not impossible, for one person to be able to help in all situations. By having a team of professionals including nurse case managers, elder mediators, social workers (to be hired) and other elder care experts, clients get the benefit of a wealth of elder care knowledge. LifeStages is the only company in the area to offer a team of experts.

We also offer the benefits of local knowledge. We visit and know many of the assisted living and nursing homes in the areas. We are also familiar with most home care companies but we are not associated with any other organization. This local, independent expertise helps us to guide clients through the long term care maze and offer solutions that can best meet their needs.

Lisa Fuller, Founder and Elder Care Advisor, has a unique set of skills that also contribute to the success of LifeStages. She was previously a 2nd Vice President at a Fortune 500 company. She left because of the desire to help individuals who were aging and their loved ones. She created a local home care company leading it to a growth of 55 employees and double digit growth year over year. During this time, Lisa also became a Geriatric Care Manager and is a member of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers. As an owner and as a GCM, Lisa met with a lot of families and saw the struggles they went through when a loved one was going through a crisis. She saw there was little to support families and again, saw an opportunity to help. She sold her home care business in December of 2008 and started marketing LifeStages in March 2009. Lisa is uniquely qualified to run an organization as well as help individual families with their elder care needs.

Who are your competitors?

Locally, there is no other company offering elder care benefits to businesses. There are five other Geriatric Care Managers in the area who offer services to individuals. Nationally, there are companies that offer elder care services to businesses and offer a 1-800 number for employees to call when they have questions. LifeStages has an advantage to these organizations because of our local knowledge and our ability to meet face to face with clients when needed. We also offer a greater range of services. For example, we are the only company in Maine who currently offers Elder Mediation support.

The need for these services is huge but because services like these are so new, the market is still in its infancy. That is the greatest challenge LifeStages faces and our focus is on educating the business community of this serious and growing need.

What inspired you to get into this business?

I love it.

When I left the corporate world, I didn’t know what my passion was. I left because I wanted to make a difference in the community. I had excellent business skills and I wanted to put them to work to help others. I took a year off to determine my next steps. During that time, I worked with a career counselor and did a lot of reading and volunteer work. I kept being drawn to working with elders. I started to remember how close I was to my grandfather and what a difference he made in my life. I also remembered how I used to volunteer in nursing homes when I was in college so I started to do that again. I loved talking with residents, meeting their families and helping any way I could. My feelings continued to grow during my ownership of my home care company. It then became even more of a passion when I saw how families were struggling.

Even though my concept for LifeStages is relatively new, I really believe in it. I know the impacts of aging on families. I have seen families who have received a diagnosis of dementia and don’t know where to turn or adult children who are trying to determine what to do when their parent ends up in the hospital and discharge planners are telling them they have to find a nursing home for him by the next day. It is frightening, stressful and isolating. Just a little bit of guidance can make an enormous difference to these families.

Another key part of my vision is to offer these services to a broader range of the population in a cost-effective way. Unfortunately, most long term care services are private pay. When I worked with families, I saw that people who have the income and assets can usually get the help they need. The independent Geriatric Care Managers’ fees in the greater Portland area range from $100/hour to $135/hour. Many people need support but can’t afford these rates. By offering support through the workplace more people can get the help they need at no cost or at a discounted price. Without it, they are left to struggle on their own.

I do this work because it truly does make a difference. Now I want to offer it to help more people. That is the purpose of LifeStages.

Lisa Fuller, Founder
lisa@lifestagesllc.com
91 Hersey Street
Portland, Maine 04103
207-730-3986
www.lifestagesllc.com

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