Life Shift

Caregiver

Meet Mercedes

Caregiver to her 86-year old mother

As a financial professional, there’s a good chance many of your customers are Caregivers like “Mercedes” – a persona we created based on findings from an extensive study of more than 2,000 older Americans. To create better experiences for your caregiving clientele, see Mercedes’ profile below. You’ll also find tips, resources and event ideas to help your clients in this life shift thrive.¹

¹The "Mercedes" persona is based on findings from a 2019 research project conducted by RTi Research, The Business of Aging, aha, AARP, and COLLABORATA in collaboration with Global Atlantic and other leading organizations.

Mercedes’ profile

In addition to helping her mother, Mercedes has a full-time job. While she’s able to use her employer’s flex time and paid time off for her caregiving role, that also means she has less time for her own needs. Here are her key stats:

Mercede's age

Employment: full-time

Civil status: Married

Her life shift details

Every week, Mercedes helps with her mom’s Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) like bathing and eating. She also helps with her Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) such as shopping and transportation.

She’s also:

Been a Caregiver for two years (average duration is four years)¹
Performs about nine caregiving activities a week (ADLs/IADLs)
Purchases aids/tools like grab bars, shower chairs and smart devices and monitoring technology
Doesn’t use outside caregiving help (due to costs)

¹https://www.caregiver.org/caregiver-statistics-demographics

Mercedes’ state

While people like Mercedes feel a sense of nobility and a calling, being a Caregiver is a difficult life shift. Sadly, Mercedes believes her best years are behind her and:

Feels caregiving may derail her aspirations
Has many out-of-pocket expenses for her mom’s needs
Feels overwhelmed, guilty, conflicted and occasionally depressed
Isn’t eating right, neglects exercise and proper sleep
Has feelings of loneliness and isolation

Here’s your playbook to help your caregiving clients thrive.

Given the struggles Caregivers endure, you have an incredible opportunity to create experiences tailored to their unique needs and aspirations. Here are just a few ideas to help you get started.

Tips

Tip #1

Resist using the term “caregiver” with your caregiving clients. While we use the term as a classification, your caregiving clients and prospects simply feel they’re helping a loved one.

Tip #2

Two-thirds of Caregivers say they’d benefit from financial education* – ask them about:

Financial support they provide to the recipients of their care
Ways to reduce the amount of time they spend in their life shift
How else their role is affecting them financially

Tip #3

Caregivers have crazy schedules. Work around their time and convenience.

Tip #4

Like all other life shifts in the 45+ crowd, Caregivers respond well to community insight. Spotlight your Caregiver clients in a newsletter.

*Based on findings from a 2019 research project conducted by RTi Research, The Business of Aging, aha, AARP, and COLLABORATA in collaboration with Global Atlantic and other leading organizations.

Resources

Resource #1

Target’s Caregiver Essentials*:Stores like Target have bundled their products for Caregivers themselves and the people they care for. Resources like these may well be worth mentioning to the Caregivers in your book of business.

Resource #2

Care.com*: Caregivers can be so overwhelmed that they don’t have time to find the help they need. Sites like Care.com may help your caregiving clients find in-home care support or even match them with the right senior living community for their loved ones.

Resource #3

True Link*: Sadly, the people who need help the most may also be the most vulnerable to financial scams. Businesses like True Link offer pre-paid credit cards with customizable settings to block payments to telemarketers and additional security features.

Important: Caregivers are often short on time. When sharing resources with your Caregiver clients, be sure to summarize your ideas.

*For illustration purposes only. These third party organizations and websites are not affiliates of Global Atlantic and their mention is for informational purposes only.

Events

Event idea #1

Host Caregiver expertise events: Don’t worry if you’re not an expert in caregiving because you don’t have to be: hosting a webinar or in-person event with a third-party professional may go a long way with your caregiving clients.

Event idea #2

Host an event at a spa (with spa service parting gifts*) : Given all the time they spend helping others, a little R&R may be the best medicine for your caregiving clients. Plus, it’ll give them a chance to connect with others in the same life shift.

Event idea #3

Create a Caregiver client community (host coffee hours*): Getting a handful of your caregiving clients together doesn’t have to be complicated or formal. Arrange to meet your client group at a local coffee shop (or even your office) to discuss their experiences and resources they’ve used with their role.

*Consult your firm’s non-cash compensation policies prior to hosting events.

Want more? Request a review

Looking for more ways to create better experiences for your clients in any of the five major life shifts? Request a one-on-one practice review with a Global Atlantic Consulting Group team member today.

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