Clinical Study Validates Impact of ianacare’s Caregiver Support Solution on Employee Productivity, Mental Wellbeing, and Company Loyalty

BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Providing support to working caregivers can increase productivity, decrease their stress and generate positive feelings towards their employers, as evidenced by ianacare’s formal clinical study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. The study documents the outcomes of a pilot program run by Anthem, Inc., a leading health company, to understand the effectiveness of ianacare’s unique approach to comprehensive caregiver support, through the use of both technology and human connection. The results showed that the platform greatly impacted the experience of Anthem, Inc. associates who were also caring for a loved one.

The clinical study surveyed Anthem associates before using the ianacare app and again after 6 weeks of use, focusing on understanding the effects of the platform as they related to the caregiver’s support system, time use and perceived productivity, and perceived health and well-being.

The study specifically focused on the technological capabilities of the ianacare platform, which leverages AI-powered personalization, powerful automation, and employer-specific integrations. Typically, over 80% of interactions on the platform are tech-enabled, while the other 20% leverage human connection via one-on-one interactions with a dedicated Caregiver Navigator.

After 6 weeks of platform use, the study found that caregivers experienced:

• 83% increase in productivity as a result of taking no time off for care-related situations
• 30% decrease in feelings of overwhelm, stress, and burden
• 96% reported feeling supported by their employer

The full findings can be viewed at the following link: https://www.jmir.org/2022/4/e28504

While these results show that ianacare had a profound impact on the individual caregivers, they also highlight the benefit to employers. Without offering the proper support for caregivers, employers face up to $575 billion in productivity loss per year. This is 4x greater than maternity and fertility productivity loss.

“The challenges of caregiving are not limited to a niche group. Actually, 1 in 6 employees is a caregiver to a loved one, and 32% of those employees end up leaving their job to focus on care responsibilities full-time, like I did while caring for my mom”, says Jessica Kim, CEO & Co-Founder of ianacare. “I left my job just so I could figure out how to manage all the care that was happening in the home when my mom was under my care. I felt unsupported and unguided and ultimately I didn’t use a single resource because I didn’t even know what was available to me. If I had access and support, I would have made different decisions. And that’s what ianacare provides.”

Caregiver support is one of the most overlooked gap in healthcare and benefits. As employers focus on key initiatives like DEI&B, return to work, and employee mental health, it’s critical to recognize that supporting working family caregivers is a powerful way to drive each and every one of these areas forward. The logistical and mental burden on caregivers, who are more often women and people of color, lead to burnout, presenteeism, and ultimately, resignation.

“Anthem identified the ianacare solution when they were the winners of Anthem’s inaugural Fast Track to Scale Accelerator program, which unites startups with leading employers to test innovative programs in the real world,” said Donna Gibson, Anthem Staff Vice President, Benefits and Total Rewards. “At Anthem we are driven by a mission to improve the lives and communities where we live and work. We are always looking at what tools we can offer that allow us to achieve our vision and make an impact. The health and well-being of our associates is important to us and we want to provide cutting edge benefits that meet their needs and this study shows that ianacare was the right choice for Anthem.”

Anthem, recognized as one of the best places to work by Fortune and several other organizations throughout the years, has renewed its partnership with ianacare. The company will continue to offer the ianacare program to all associates through 2022, solidifying its commitment to serving its associates with the best and most supportive benefits package.

ianacare partners with employers and institutions of all sizes to incorporate caregiver support into their benefits offering. Learn more at ianacare.com.

About ianacare: ianacare is establishing a new model of sustainable caregiver support for today’s modern generation. Through its comprehensive solution, ianacare empowers caregivers in a wide range of care situations with highly personalized resources, tools, and access to a Caregiver Navigator, all designed to help them integrate work, life, and care. The platform has been proven to decrease stress and increase productivity and employee loyalty through its technology & human-centered experience. ianacare partners with employers and institutions to deliver this support to employee family caregivers as part of their benefits package. To learn more, please visit www.ianacare.com.

About Anthem, Inc.: Anthem is a leading health company dedicated to improving lives and communities, and making healthcare simpler. Through its affiliated companies, Anthem serves approximately 118 million people, including nearly 47 million within its family of health plans. Delivering health beyond healthcare, Anthem is expanding from being a partner in health benefits to a lifetime, trusted health partner. For more information, please visit www.anthem.com or follow @AnthemInc on Twitter.

Contacts

Kristen Elworthy

kristen@sevenhillscommunications.com
(978) 539-7171