One thing caregivers aren’t good at is taking care of themselves, says a report issued this week by MetLife Mature Market Institute. People who care for an elderly relative or friend are more likely to report health problems like depression, diabetes, hypertension or heart disease, skip out on preventive screenings like annual physicals, and miss work.

The MetLife Study of Working Caregivers and Employer Health Care Costs, released February 2, backs up the recent Caregiving in the U.S. 2009 study, which found one-third of adult Americans are caregivers—and more than half of those are stressed out and taking time off from their jobs. Read our story on that study here.

The most recent report was a collaboration by the insurance giant, the National Alliance for Caregiving and the University of Pittsburgh Institute of Aging, which canvassed 17,000 employees of a major U.S. corporation. They found 12 percent were caregivers of an elderly person in need of their own care.

Some results:

* Caring for an elderly person has some association with high-risk behaviors like smoking and alcohol consumption.
* Caregiver health problems cost employers an addition $13.4 billion annually in health care costs.
* Younger caregivers—ages 18 to 39—had significantly higher rates of cholesterol, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), depression, kidney disease, and heart disease compared to non-caregiving peers, costing their employers 11 percent more in health care costs annually.
* Male caregivers cost their employers an additional 18 percent each year.
* Female caregivers were less likely to get annual mammograms than non-caregivers, and all caregivers reported that it was a challenge to find time to take care of their own health.
* Employees with caregiving responsibilities were more likely to be absent from work.  

Even when caregivers are at work, performance is compromised, says Gail Hunt, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Caregiving. “A lack of focus on their work due to distractions, like phone calls and care coordination, occupy their time. They need solutions so they can be healthier and perform better.”

For instance, the report suggests that employers offer flexible hours, paid time off (PTO) and telecommuting. They could provide wellness programs that reduce their stress and improve health, such as in-office yoga and exercise classes, relaxation techniques and massage therapy. Employers could also set up financial incentives for participating in preventive health tests like mammograms and Pap smears and provide in-office medical screenings and free legal and financial advice to help caregivers stay on top of their own health and wellbeing.