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LifeCare® Answers Record Number of Financial Calls; Finances Now Exceed Child Care as Workers' Top Concern

This release shares details about the rapid rise in the number of calls that LifeCare, Inc. is receiving from working families for assistance with financial issues.

Shelton, CT (PRWEB) May 6, 2009 -- LifeCare®, Inc., a leading provider of health and productivity solutions for employers nationwide, announced today that its Call Center is answering a record number of calls about financial issues -- so many, in fact, that the company's financial call volume has eclipsed its child care call volume. Historically, child care has been the leading reason people call LifeCare for assistance.

Comparing the first six weeks of 2009 to the same period in 2008, LifeCare saw a 70% increase in the number of requests for counseling about credit and debt issues and a 35% increase in requests for information about state programs and/or grants for rent, food and utility assistance.

Given the current economy, we certainly expected to answer more calls about financial issues. But in all of our 25 years in business, we've never seen a spike like this in any call type. In the past three months alone, our Call Center Specialists have answered roughly 1,500 financial calls. That's nearly one call every hour-and-a-half, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Unfortunately, we've had to find shelters and temporary housing for families because of the mortgage crisis and the housing market collapse

We've also had to help people find food banks and child care organizations that charge on sliding scales.

Recovery among working families will take some time

That's why LifeCare will continue to develop support programs such as the Financial Resource Center.

Burki notes that most of LifeCare's finance-related calls are about financial counseling (guidance on credit and debt issues) or financial assistance (information about government programs for child care subsidies, utility and rental assistance, etc.), However, some calls are for more pressing needs. "Unfortunately, we've had to find shelters and temporary housing for families because of the mortgage crisis and the housing market collapse," he said. "We've also had to help people find food banks and child care organizations that charge on sliding scales."

The need for financial guidance is so widespread that LifeCare recently launched a web-based Financial Resource Center that is free to employers nationwide. It was created exclusively to deliver information and resources that address credit, debt, home purchases and sales, foreclosures, tenant eviction, investment, retirement planning, taxes, bankruptcy and more. The site contains a wide variety of articles, guides, webinars, podcasts, videos, calculators and other helpful tools. Organizations interested in offering the Financial Resource Center to their employees can complete a brief form that is available online at: www.lifecare.com/freeoffer. (The form must be submitted by an authorized representative of the organization's Human Resources department.) Once an organization is enrolled, its employees will have free access to the site for three months where they can:

- Learn about managing credit and debt, budgeting and saving, bankruptcy, wills, estates and trusts, etc.
- Calculate loan rates, savings rates, investment yields, present and future values and much more with dozens of financial calculators.
- Listen to money management podcasts by Jean Chatzky, award-winning journalist and nationally recognized financial expert.
- Save money by shopping online via LifeCare's Discount Center, which gives people access to hundreds of deals on a wide variety of products and services.

Burki expects the need for financial guidance to continue at a high level even while the economy improves. "Recovery among working families will take some time," he said. "That's why LifeCare will continue to develop support programs such as the Financial Resource Center."

About LifeCare®, Inc.
LifeCare is a leading provider of health and productivity solutions for employers nationwide, offering cost-saving benefits that help clients reduce their most pervasive absenteeism and productivity drains, including child and elder care, caregiving support, health and wellness issues, and more. For more than two decades, LifeCare has led the work/life industry in the creation of high-quality, results-oriented programs designed to improve our clients' bottom line. LifeCare serves 1,500 client companies with 4.5 million individuals within corporations, health plans, government agencies and unions. For more information, visit www.lifecare.com.

Notes to Editors
LifeCare's CEO, Peter G. Burki, is available for interview.
Media contact: Michael Civiello; 203-556-8827

This press release was distributed through eMediawire by Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: www.HRmarketer.com) on behalf of the company listed above.

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