United Way aims at seniors

A 44-member committee of community leaders drawing up a strategic plan this year determined that helping family caregivers of older adults — and involving their employers in that effort — should become a key piece in addressing the impact of having a population that skews older than in most urban centers.

Dmitri Shiry, Deloitte LLP Pittsburgh managing partner and co-chair of that United Way committee, said a survey showed that of family adult caregivers, 60 percent of them are employed, but the majority feel stress that is bound to affect their productivity.

Deloitte, which recently adopted a paid family leave policy nationwide for employees, joined UPMC as the first two local companies to sign up for a United for Caregivers@Work plan. Employers participating in it agree to survey their employees about their caregiving issues and recognize their needs with appropriate workplace policies and links to information and resources.

Lisa Bonacci, UPMC vice president of human resources, noted that parties are customary for new mothers taking a leave from the workplace, “but there’s not really any parties when you go off to care for an aging parent.” In fact, some people worry about appearing to shirk their work duties if they mention a need to assist older relatives. The goal is to have at least eight more major local employers join the program to reshape the perception of caregiving.

United Way also wants to maintain or expand the various programs it funds that help seniors directly, including Meals on Wheels deliveries, home safety modifications, chronic disease management training, fitness promotion, assistance with snow shoveling and other chores, and more. Information about those, the Open Your Heart to a Senior program and other services can be obtained by dialing United Way’s 2-1-1 service line, which the agency also hopes to enhance with more staff.