21
Diversity Rules Magazine
April 2019
for taking me off -- even if it is to deal with a trag-
edy -- and may be hesitant to ask their employer for
a care benefit.
Paul Blom, an openly gay business man and owner
of a Right at Home fran-
chise in Bloomington, MN
-- an agency that provides
caregiver services -- says
most people end up paying
for caregivers from their in-
come or out of their savings,
and that the cost quickly
adds up.
"It can cost anywhere be-
tween $30-$40 per hour
depending upon the level
of care that is required," he
said. "People who are low
income can qualify for medical assistance/Medicaid
programs that will cover care, but the reimburse-
ment rates have stagnated over the last 10 years,
to the point that there are fewer and fewer agen-
cies that will accept reimbursement through those
programs."
Blom's business has started to see some refer-
rals come in through Care.com -- a website that
connects families with different care providers.
However, he says it's only a handful of large com-
panies that are offering a care benefit through the
Care.com service, Care Concierge.
Both Raman and Blom feel more employers need to
offer care benefits; yet, it's a long journey toward
making care benefits a more common company
perk, as organiza ons would have to shi their cul-
ture in order to appreciate the advantage of helping
their employees meet their caregiver responsibili-
es.
To read the full Harvard study, please click here. And
for more informa on about caregiving resources for
the LGBT community, you can visit the LGBT Aging
Center, a na onal resource, at: h ps://www.lgbtag-
ingcenter.org/training/index.cfm
