FAMILY CONSULTATION SERVICES

"Life happens" in many different ways and Family Consultation Services responds with real solutions. Our comprehensive telephone consultation provides you with research and referral information for child care, elder care and care for people with disabilities. Save countless hours finding a care provider to meet your specific needs and receive a detailed Provider Profile packet and educational materials and guidebooks within 48-72 hours.

Highlights
Family Consultation Services can help in these types of situations:

• Finding in-home child care for an infant or toddler
• Making transportation arrangements to the doctor for a disabled elder who is living alone in another state
• Understanding what Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance covers for an elderly relative's care and identifying programs that are available at little or no cost
• Finding an after-school program or summer camp for a child in elementary school
• Understanding the costs of various living arrangements if a parent can no longer live at home
• Finding care for a child or adult with a debilitating disease

STATISTICS

"In a recent study of federal employees, nearly one-third of those surveyed indicated they have lost 17 or more hours from work each month to provide elder care."
- United States Office of Personnel Management, "Elder Care and Responsibilities of Federal Employees and Agency Programs," March 2002 

"Forty Percent of working parents missed at least one day of work every three months to deal with family matters. In addition to child care responsibilities, AARP found that 33% of employees reported coming in late or leaving early because of elder care responsibilities. Among employed caregivers, an average of 7.5 days was missed each year to deal with elder care issues."
- University of Kentucky, Work-Life Talk Force Final Report, March 2003 

"As many as 12.8 million Americans of all ages need assistance from others to carry out ever day activities. This means that an estimated one out of four households is involved in caring for a loved one aged 50 or older. Although there is no reliable estimate of the number of family caregivers, at least 7 million Americans are caring for parent at any given time."
- Family Caregiver Alliance, September, 1999

"Employees save an average of 14.7 hours per year by employer-based resource and referral services, with at least 80% of that time expected to have been spent during the workday."
- Work-Family Directions, 2002

Family Consultation FAQ

Q.  What is Family Consultation Services?

A. The Family Consultation Services is a comprehensive telephone consultation service providing research and referral information for child care, elder care and care for people with disabilities.

Q. How does the benefit work?

A. Simply call the toll free number on the back of the membership card 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to reach a counselor with outstanding educational credentials and professional experience.

Starting with a national database of over 750,000 providers, the counselor will identify possible solutions and make between 20 to 30 calls to identify providers who match the specific family situation and ensure availability of care when it is needed.

Within 48 to 72 hours, a comprehensive referral packet is sent out. It contains profiles of providers who meet the family’s needs, specifies availability of service, and includes educational materials to assist the family in making a decision about care. Two weeks later, the counselor follows up to determine if a decision has been made, if the member needs more referrals, and to answer any additional questions.

Q. What types of problems do the Family Consultation Services deal with?

A. Expert counselors, experienced with the ins and outs of child and adult/elder care services can help with:

• Finding an in-home childcare provider for an infant or toddler
• Making transportation arrangements to the doctor for a disable elder who is living alone in another state
• Understanding what Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance covers for an elderly relative’s care and identifying programs that are available at little or no cost
• Finding an after-school program or summer camp for a child in elementary school
• Understanding the costs of various living arrangements if an older adult can no longer live independently at home
• Finding care for a child or adult with a debilitating disease
  

Q. What can I expect in the Provider Profile Packet?

A. The packet contains profiles with each provider's name, address, contact, title, services provided, applicable fees, and any other special comments. Depending on the services required members might receive additional information such as CPR/ First Aid certification information and admission requirements for a childcare center.

Q. What can I expect in the Educational Materials Packet?

A. The Educational Materials Packet Members includes comprehensive notes and guidebooks covering a broad range of dependent care topics.

Q. Is there someone I can turn to with questions about my Family Consultation benefit?

A. Yes.  Simply call the toll-free number on the back of your membership card and an experienced counselor can help with any questions or concerns.