Companies have realised the benefits of offering childcare support, so why not eldercare? 

The 2021 ONS census for England and Wales found that nearly 10% of the workforce are carers, while 38% of the workforce are working parents, often, they’re both. Yet while the majority of UK companies offer childcare support, only 14% offer adult carer support (REBA article). 

Why does this matter? 

The bottom line: Employers for Carers, calculated that the impact of staff turnover, absence, and stress due to juggling work and caring is costing UK businesses over £8.2 billion per year. With better support for carers, businesses could save up to £4.8 billion a year in unplanned absences and £3.4 billion in improved employee retention (EfC: Business Case).

Eldercare is unpredictable and rarely structured: emergencies, hospital visits, and the emotional strain are harder to “plan around” than childcare.

The sandwich generation: employees (especially women aged 35–55) are burning out, reducing hours, or leaving altogether.

Organisations can take the lead on eldercare

Carers are often hidden in the workforce, particularly those caring for elderly relatives and friends. The benefits of supporting these employees are proven: increased productivity, retaining talent, and a more inclusive culture. One way to recognise and support your employees’ caring roles is to provide access to professional care advice and practical support through your employee benefits package. 

Offer peace of mind

The Two Generations Homeshare scheme is a UK-wide scheme that helps employees connect their elderly relatives with vetted live-in companions. Through our scheme, employees can arrange for a carefully vetted sharer to provide live-in companionship and support for an elderly relative.

From initial setup to ongoing support, we handle every detail, ensuring a hassle-free experience for both employers and employees.  

Benefits of Homeshare for employers:

• Retains top talent & reduces absenteeism
• Improves productivity & well-being
• Strengthens DEI efforts
• Minimal admin – employees contract directly with Two Generations

Learn more about our corporate offering here or speak to the team today about how Two Generations can help your organisation better support caregiving employees.

Call us now on 03333 44 7738.

We have seen an increased uptake in our Homeshare service; our testimonials show why.

“My sharer is just perfect. We are such a wonderful fit together, I couldn’t be happier.” Lilas, Perth

Combatting loneliness is often a big part of the appeal of a homeshare arrangement. Age UK published a study on loneliness at the end of 2024, which found:

• 7% (1 in 14 people) aged 65+ equivalent to 940,000 older people in the UK are often lonely.

• 270,000 older people (aged 65+) in England go a week without speaking to a friend or family member (3%, or around 1 in 40 people aged 65+).
• People who go a week without speaking to a friend or family member are almost three times more likely to be lonely than people who speak to friends and family more often.

This matters because: 

• Loneliness is linked with the acceleration of frailty and increased risk of physical and mental illness, including a 29% increase in risk of incident coronary heart disease, a 32% increase in risk of stroke and a 25% increased risk of dementia.

• Loneliness is linked with increased risk of mental illness, including depression and anxiety.

• Nine in 10 older people who are often lonely are also unhappy or depressed, compared to four in 10 of those who are hardly ever lonely.

(Age UK link to findings and how to combat loneliness)

How Homeshare helps

Many older people have a spare bedroom that can accommodate a Homesharer who can provide companionship and light support. It can be as simple as having a trusted person in the home at night or sharing a meal regularly.

“We’ve seen a huge difference in her confidence. She is definitely no longer lonely; they make a great team!” Daughter of Lynn, Householder, Richmond

You can read more testimonials from Householders and their families, and Homesharers here. Or get in touch with the team to find out more.

A recent study by PwC, Women in Work 2025, calculated that increases in women’s participation in the workforce contributed to a productivity uplift of 0.30% per year, an approximate UK GDP increase of £6.2bn a year. This is talent that many businesses will want to access and benefit from. Yet significant barriers remain as women in their critical career advancement phase often find themselves juggling caregiving responsibilities for children and elderly relatives. 

The Glass Ceiling in Action

At the point of earning promotions and taking leadership roles:

• women are 7X more likely than men to leave work for caregiving (TUC, 2023)
• 1.46M women can’t work due to family duties (TUC, 2023)
• 84% of “sandwich carers” (work, kids, aging parents) are women (Age UK, 2022)

What Can Businesses Do?

Businesses recognise the value in a diverse workforce and are looking for ways to better support their people. Until recently the focus has been on childcare provisions;  eldercare is less visible and more complicated. And there isn’t a one size fits all here. Flexible working arrangements and unpaid leave is one approach many businesses are now taking. Great in a crisis, but probably not suitable for all ongoing caring needs. 

Another practical option is Homesharing,  a scheme that carefully pairs a householder (an older person with a spare room) with a vetted sharer who provides live-in companionship and light support in exchange for affordable accommodation.

Two Generations

Our Homeshare scheme offers a unique corporate benefit connecting employees’ elderly relatives with vetted live-in companions – creating peace of mind. 

Benefits for Employers:

• retain top talent & reduce absenteeism
• improve productivity & well-being
• Strengthen DEI efforts
• minimal admin—employees contract directly with Two Generations

Speak to the team today about how Two Generations can help your organisation support caregiving employees.

Call us now on 03333 44 7738.

When we think about “care”, we often picture personal care. Washing. Dressing. Hospital visits. Social care packages. Nurses and care homes.

But real care, the kind that keeps people going day to day,  is often smaller and quieter.

It’s the cup of tea made mid-morning. The chat over breakfast. Help getting the iPad to work. Someone sleeping in the next room, just in case.

These small things don’t sound like “care” in a policy document. But they are what make older people feel safe, seen, and less alone.

The Care We Don’t Count

There are 5.7 million unpaid carers in England and Wales. Many are family members or friends. They help out because they care, but also because there is no one else.

More than 1.4 million older people in the UK are often lonely, according to Age UK. Over half a million go at least five days a week without speaking to anyone.

These numbers are rising. And they don’t just point to a health problem,  they point to a support gap.

Most people want to stay in their own home as they age. But that depends on more than care plans. It depends on someone popping in. Knowing there’s help nearby. Feeling less alone at night.

This kind of support is rarely funded, tracked or measured. But it’s what gives people the confidence to keep living independently.

Why It Matters Now

The UK is ageing fast. By 2043, 1 in 4 people will be over 65. We can’t build our way out of this – there won’t be enough care homes or formal carers.

And with rising costs and staff shortages, traditional care services are stretched. We need to think differently.

That means recognising the full spectrum of care. Not just what happens in hospitals or care homes, but what happens in kitchens, hallways, spare rooms.

Rethinking Support

Solutions like Homeshare offer one answer. A younger person lives with an older householder, offering company and a few hours of help in exchange for affordable rent.

It’s not formal care. But it offers presence. Company. Peace of mind. And that has real value.

By broadening what we think of as “care”, we open up new ways to support people. We also lighten the load on families, services, and the NHS.

A Policy Shift Waiting to Happen

Too often, care is only counted when it breaks down,  when someone is hospitalised, or needs a crisis package. But the early signs, the gaps filled by neighbours, friends, adult children, are where real prevention happens.

If we want more people to age well at home, we need to see care as more than tasks and timesheets.

We need to start valuing presence, not just procedures.

Sources:

• Age UK (2023): Loneliness and older people
• ONS Census 2021: Unpaid carers in England and Wales
• Office for National Statistics (2023): Population projections

We’re thrilled that our Head of Service Delivery, Lisa Goldsobel, recently joined Avivah Wittenberg-Cox on her Elderberries podcast to discuss one of today’s most pressing and overlooked challenges: the growing need for eldercare — and its impact on families, communities, and the workplace.

Avivah, a globally recognized thought leader on gender and generational balance, continues to lead the conversation on the future of work, the longevity economy, and the promise of 60-year careers.

Together, Avivah and Lisa explored how intergenerational living can help address two critical issues at once: the isolation often faced by older adults and the lack of affordable housing for younger generations.

Lisa shares her experiences of working closely with families that have used Two Generations homeshare, offering an honest look into the realities and rewards of intergenerational living.

🎧 Listen to the episode here:

A big thank you to Avivah for creating space for these stories and for her ongoing support of Two Generations as an ambassador.

It is time to recognise and support working carers through organisations’ employee benefits packages.

The 2021 census showed that at least 5.8 million people across the UK were providing unpaid care for an ill, older, or disabled family member or friend. The number of carers is expected to grow over the next 10 years and is taking its toll on the workforce. 

The State of Caring 2024 survey of UK carers found 80% of working carers feel overwhelmed juggling work and care.  However, “almost a third of working carers in the UK have not discussed their caring role with anyone at their workplace, most commonly because they believed that nothing would change as a result” CIPD.

Hidden in plain sight

Carers are often hidden in the workforce, particularly those caring for elderly relatives and friends. Organisations will benefit from supporting those carers (with increased productivity, retaining talent, and a more inclusive culture), but only if employees are comfortable disclosing their caring responsibilities. How can employers encourage more transparency from their workforce?

Employee Benefits Schemes

One way to recognise and support your employees’ caring roles is to provide access to professional care advice and practical support through your employee benefits package. Alongside promoting positive practices and training for managers, signposting to support gives employees options tailored to their circumstances. 

Create peace of mind

The Two Generations Homeshare scheme is a subscription service that helps employees connect their elderly relatives with vetted live-in companions. Through our scheme, employees can arrange for a carefully vetted sharer to provide live-in companionship and support for an elderly relative. From initial set-up to ongoing support, we handle every detail, ensuring a hassle-free experience for both employers and employees.  

Benefits of Homeshare for employers:

• Retains top talent & reduces absenteeism
• Improves productivity & well-being
• Strengthens DEI efforts
• Minimal admin—employees contract directly with Two Generations

Learn more about our corporate offering here or speak to the team today about how Two Generations can help your organisation better support caregiving employees.

Call us now on 03333 44 7738.

The importance of flexible benefits for working carers is well understood. Our recent articles have all highlighted the growing need for employers to address how they support employees balancing work and eldercare responsibilities.

“Feeling appreciated can go a long way toward not only accepting a stressful situation, but enjoying life more.” Helpguide.org

Recent data from Age UK found: 

• 6 million UK adults worry about supporting their parents as they age.
• 5 million people struggle financially and emotionally to balance work and caregiving responsibilities.
• 25% of the workforce are caregivers, many of whom feel unsupported.
• 60% give up career opportunities.

However, employees who feel supported:

• are more loyal to the organisation and stay longer.
• are less distracted and more productive.
• have lower stress levels and better work-life balance.
• feel included and more able to have open conversations.

We are lucky to work with some forward-thinking organisations taking positive action to improve their support for informal carers at work. One thing they all have in common is that they are listening to their people and providing a range of support that their employees can choose from. 

Three ways employers are supporting their caregivers:

One. Implementing a clear carers policy. This includes flexible and hybrid working options that outlines on-going support and normalises the needs of carers in their organisation.  Many companies are going beyond the legal requirement of 5 unpaid days’ annual leave for elder care under the Care Leavers Act, and are offering paid days and longer time frames for leave. 

However, sadly, the UK still lags behind most of Europe…

Two. Fostering a workplace carer support network. This includes training managers to spot burnout and signposting support available.  From employee forums for eldercare issues and buddy schemes within the workplace to apps and online portals with information to support finding care services and financial aid.

“The Phoenix Group Carers network hosts informal meetings, regular events and signposts support via emails and in its regular events. It is also piloting a safe-space forum and a buddy scheme to create a community of carers who can connect with other in similar situations to theirs.” The Phoenix Group, Best for Carers and Eldercarers 2024 Winner, Working Families

Three. Offering practical support as part of the employee benefits package. One option growing in popularity is a homesharing scheme for employees to access to support their elderly loved ones.

Homesharing pairs a householder (an older person with a spare room) with a vetted sharer who provides live-in companionship and light support in exchange for affordable accommodation. The Two Generations homeshare scheme helps employees connect their elderly relatives with vetted live-in companions, creating peace of mind. 

Benefits of Homeshare for employers:

• Retains top talent & reduces absenteeism
• Improves productivity & well-being
• Strengthens DEI efforts
• Minimal admin—employees contract directly with Two Generations

Learn more about our corporate offering here or speak to the team today about how Two Generations can help your organisation better support caregiving employees.

Call us now on 03333 44 7738.

Organisations are losing talent to burnout – a trend that is set to rise. In the 2025 State of Work-Life Wellness Report by Wellhub, work stress has overtaken inflation, AI anxiety, and information overload as the leading cause of stress. While most employees rank well-being as a top priority, more than half believe their current employers fall short of providing adequate support.

One source of work stress that is not always visible, but impacts many employees, is eldercare.

Eldercare – a Silent Pandemic

A study by McKinsey found that respondents who were taking care of an adult reported higher rates of burnout (37%) than those taking care of children (20%), and let’s not forget the sandwich generation (often women) doing both.  With an aging population, caregiving is becoming a silent pandemic in the workplace (see Forbes article – Employee caregivers: A silent pandemic ). 

Take Positive Action Early

This is an opportunity for employers to get ahead in the competition for talent. The starting point is reducing the stigma around caregiving, creating supportive policies like flexible working, and providing access to dedicated support services. When caregiving employees feel supported, they are more likely to stay engaged and loyal. 

Access to Homeshare Support (An Employee Benefit)

Homeshare is an innovative employee benefit that is simple to integrate into an existing benefits package. Through the Two Generations scheme, employees can arrange for a carefully vetted sharer to provide live-in companionship and support for an elderly relative. This gives the family peace of mind, as one employee told us, 

“It’s nice that when I speak to my mum now, it’s about what we’ve been up to rather than a list of issues. This has reduced my stress levels and work distractions and I’m far more upbeat and productive in the office. It’s such a relief knowing someone is there for mum.”

Learn more about our corporate offering here or speak to the team today about how Two Generations can help your organisation better support caregiving employees.

Call us now on 03333 44 7738.

The workforce is undergoing a significant shift—by 2025, more employees will be caring for elderly loved ones than raising children. With an estimated 600 employees leaving work every day to manage caregiving responsibilities, businesses can no longer afford to overlook this growing challenge. To retain talent, maintain productivity, and control costs, companies must take proactive steps to support their employees.

The introduction of the Carer’s Leave Act in 2023 signaled a clear shift in employer responsibilities, reinforcing the need for businesses to accommodate workers who care for aging relatives. Implementing a comprehensive elder care support strategy is no longer just an option—it’s a necessity. Here’s why:

1. Reducing Absences & Increasing Productivity

Employees with caregiving responsibilities often face unplanned absences or struggle with mental disengagement—physically at work but preoccupied with their loved ones’ needs. A strong elder care strategy, including flexible working arrangements and practical care solutions like Homeshare, helps alleviate this burden. By providing employees with reliable care options, businesses can reduce absenteeism, improve focus, and enhance overall productivity.

2. Enhancing Employee Well-Being & Retention

A recent study from TakingCare discovered that one in three adults would consider leaving their job if a parent needed support and care.

Additionally, employees who choose to stay at their jobs without employer benefits to support caring for the elderly often experience burnout, and mental health challenges. Therefore, ensuring that employees who are caring for the elderly have support can not only provide a positive workplace but also increase job satisfaction and employee retention.

3. Supporting Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Goals

Elder care responsibilities disproportionately affect women, minority communities, and lower-income employees, often creating career progression barriers. A dedicated elder care strategy ensures all employees, regardless of background, have the support needed to thrive.

Thus, forward-thinking businesses that prioritise elder care policies will set themselves apart as industry leaders in workplace inclusivity.

4. Strengthening Employer Branding & Attracting Talent

In today’s competitive job market, benefits can be a deciding factor for candidates when choosing an employer. In fact, an Adler survey found that 25% of UK workers value benefits more than their base salary.

A strong elder care policy therefore not only helps retain existing staff but also makes the company more appealing to new talent. When employees see that their personal and family needs are valued, they’re more likely to choose to join and stay with an organisation.

5. Future-Proofing Against Workforce Demands

The UK has an aging population as such the elder care problem in the workforce will only continue to grow. Organisations that proactively implement elder care strategies will be better prepared to retain employees, maintain productivity and reduce turnover costs in the years ahead.

How Two Generations Can Help

Our Homeshare scheme offers a unique corporate benefit connecting employees’ elderly relatives with vetted live-in companions, reducing caregiving stress while keeping employees engaged and productive.

Benefits for Employers:
✔ Retain top talent & reduce absenteeism
✔ Improve productivity & workplace morale
✔ Align with DEI & ESG goals
✔ Minimal admin – employees contract directly with Two Generations

Learn more about our corporate offering here. 

Loneliness among older adults in the UK continues to grow, having profound implications for both mental and physical health. In a society that is aging, addressing this silent epidemic is more important than ever.

This blog explores the causes of loneliness among the elderly, the importance of companionship, and how organisations such as Two Generations can help bridge the gap.

The Reality of Loneliness Among the Elderly in the UK

Over 2 million people in England aged 75 and above live alone. More shockingly, over 1 million older adults have reported going more than a month without speaking to a friend, neighbour, or family member (NHS, 2025). This lack of social interaction not only fosters emotional distress but also contributes to a multitude of physical and mental difficulties.

What Causes Loneliness in the Elderly?

There are a wide variety of factors that can contribute to loneliness in older adults, including:

• Loss of Social Opportunities: Retirement or the death of a spouse or friends often leads to fewer daily interactions.
• Health Challenges: Older individuals can struggle with health challenges that limit mobility and confidence, making it harder to leave their homes to socialise.
• Living Alone: Many older adults live independently, with few visitors or interactions.
• Geographical Separation: Regular contact with family can be a great way to reduce loneliness, however, increased distance to family can make it difficult to stay in touch regularly.

Why is Companionship Crucial for the Elderly?

Studies show that older adults with strong social connections are more likely to engage in healthy behaviours, such as regular exercise and balanced diets, improving their overall quality of life. 

Additionally, companionship can help the elderly improve:

• Mental Wellbeing: Regular interactions help ward off depression and anxiety, which are common outcomes of prolonged loneliness.
• Physical Health: Engaging with others has been linked to improved cardiovascular health, reduced inflammation, and enhanced immunity.
• Sense of Purpose: Companionship fosters feelings of belonging and self-worth, vital for maintaining a positive outlook on life.

Homesharing: A Great Solution to Elderly Loneliness

What is Homesharing?

Homesharing is a scheme that carefully pairs a Householder (an older person with a spare room) with a vetted Sharer who provides live-in companionship and light support in exchange for affordable accommodation.

TwoGenerations, offers this service to its users, both for individuals and corporate organisations looking to help their employees decrease care pressures.

How It Works

Homesharing is a simple yet impactful concept:

• For Householders: It offers independence, companionship, and peace of mind.
• For Families: It reduces caregiving stress and provides reassurance about their loved one’s well-being.
• For Sharers: It provides affordable housing with purpose and companionship.

Loneliness among the elderly is a growing issue, but together, we can make a difference. Discover how TwoGenerations’ homesharing programme can transform lives by fostering meaningful connections. Learn more and get involved today!