Are you caring for a senior? A new resource is now available to current benefits-eligible MIT employees and postdoctoral fellows. The Senior Care Planning Benefit, offered through our partners at Care.com, includes the following services at no cost:
- In-depth phone consultations with a Licensed Geriatric Social Worker, who can assist you with a customized action plan that meets your family’s needs; facilitate family meetings; and provide you with a list of vetted providers in communities across the U.S. These providers include geriatric care managers, attorneys who specialize in elder law, at-home care services, senior housing, adult day programs, transportation, and Alzheimer’s/dementia care.
- In-person consultations with Jennifer Gibbons, LICSW, a Care Advisor on the Care.com team, who will be available twice a month at the Work-Life Center, located in Room E19-607.
- Monthly lunchtime senior caregiver support groups, facilitated by Jennifer Gibbons, that will run from October through January at the Work-Life Center. Topics include "Caring From a Distance," and "Caring for a Family Member with Alzheimer’s/Dementia."
Ronnie Mae Weiss, MIT program manager, recently used the Senior Care Planning Service through Care.com to find a quality assisted living community for her parents in Florida. “The ability to speak with an experienced senior care advisor has proven invaluable for my family,” says Weiss. “Not only was I able to take care of my parents’ immediate needs, but Care.com has continued to engage my whole family in an honest and productive conversation around ongoing care that works for us.”
In addition to these new services, short-term in-home care is also available for your adult and senior family members — and yourself — through Care.com BackupCare, provided by Parents in a Pinch, and provides access to backup adult care for medical appointments, transportation, meal preparation, medication prompting, and assistance with bathing and dressing. Employees pay an hourly fee to the adult caregiver for this service.
The popular Work-Life Seminar Series has also returned this fall and includes free, lunchtime (12:00-1:30 p.m.) seminars led by experts in elder care. Seminars provide practical, research-based insights and strategies on the following topics: "What to Look for in a Long-Term Care Community: It’s Not the Fountain in the Lobby" (Oct. 7); "Checking in with Elderly Family Members: What to Look for, What to Ask" (Nov. 4), and "Aging in Place: Promoting Independent Living for Seniors" (Dec. 16).
For additional details regarding the new Senior Care Planning Benefit, and to register for any service, visit the Work-Life Center’s website.
