Support finding residential or nursing home, funding and advice and dedicated online hub
A Care Concierge service has been launched by Legal & General to educate employees about care procedures and help them find an appropriate care package for family members who may need later life support, such as a residential or nursing home, or funding and advice.
As part of the new service, a dedicated online hub has been launched to help users navigate their way through the care journey and provide advice around a number of key issues, including housing, means testing, care provision and funding.
Delivered by L&G's Health & Care team, the Care Concierge service is available to all employees covered by Legal & General group protection policies and family members will get access to the guidance level service at no extra cost. This includes a 30-minute telephone consultation, assistance with care planning, guidance on typical care costs and local authority funding, and care guides are tailored to individual situations. Premium concierge services are also available at discounted rates.
Dr. Sam Roberts, managing director of Health and Care, Legal & General, retail retirement, said: "Knowing what care you, or a family member, needs isn't easy, but our Care Concierge service helps people understand, find and fund the care options available to them. As well as a range of digital tools, it provides a personal telephone service, so depending on the level of support available, you can speak to the same person throughout your journey, whether it be at a point of crisis or just looking to plan ahead."
Carers UK estimates an extra 4.5 million people have become informal carers since the pandemic began - taking the total to 13.6 million.
Employees navigating the carer system tend to be workers aged 45-65 and many of them have dependent children themselves. Figures show that currently one in seven working adults has caring responsibilities, but this number is likely to increase with the segment of the population aged over 85 set to double over the next 20 years.
According to WeMa, the bottom line of UK businesses are being impacted directly by 49% of employees taking sick days to support family with an elderly care need. As many as 88% of employees said they don't receive additional paid care leave and third (33%) not benefitting from any supportive employment policies, Carers UK figures show.
'Sandwich generation'
James Walker, head of product and proposition of group protection, Legal & General, said: "The ‘sandwich generation' is under increasing pressure due to caring for elderly parents and dependent children while holding down a full or part-time job. It's frequently the case that something has to give, and this is often the job either through absence or resignation — estimates show that 2.6 million employees have left employment due to a caring role. Giving the employees of our group protection customers access to Legal & General's new Care Concierge service will help these people by providing a range of support and advice so they can traverse the complicated landscape of elderly care. In turn, this could help reduce absence, improve retention and allow employers to benefit from a more engaged and productive workforce."
Care Concierge joins a wider package of employee support services from Legal & General, which also includes a recently launched no-obligation advice service for Lifetime Mortgages (otherwise known as equity release) which is available at no extra cost. Group protection clients who take up this offer and successfully complete a Legal & General Lifetime Mortgage will also receive a £250 Love2Shop gift card.
