Stress
Being a caregiver for an elderly parent or loved one is stressful, no matter how much you may love them. There’s a significant amount of disruption to one’s life and schedule, as well as the worry and sorrow of watching a loved one become more helpless. Other feelings involved with elderly care include frustration, guilt, resentment and hopelessness. Feeling unappreciated for all of the work required to assist an elderly loved one also contributes to anxiety. Caring for an aging adult while managing a full- or part-time job multiplies these stresses.
Costs of care
Recent studies have shown that nearly 25 percent of all households have at least one adult who has provided care for an elderly person at some point during the past 12 months. These same studies have demonstrated that it costs employers billions of dollars in lost productivity due to employee absenteeism to care for loved ones.
Costs to employers:
• Costs due to full and partial absenteeism;
• Costs due to workday interruptions;
• Costs due to eldercare crisis;
• Costs due to increased supervision of employee caregivers; and
• Replacement costs for workers who quit due to full-time caregiver responsibilities.
Costs to employees:
• Valuable training and skill improvement time;
• Lost vacation and sick time;
• Lost promotion opportunities;
• Lost desired assignments and transfers;
• Lost seniority; and
Managing stress of care
Maintaining personal health is extremely important in helping deal with the stress of caring for the elderly. Getting proper nutrition, rest and exercise allows for stable physical and mental health. Assistance and support is also critical to managing stress when caring for someone. Members of a family can hold a meeting and include the patient to identify problems and solutions. This is a great way for families to generate ideas for sharing responsibilities so one person isn’t trying to do everything alone. Seeking additional professional help, community resources like the Council on Aging, or support groups for any specific medical conditions like Alzheimer’s or cancer, is terrific added support.
Respite and assistance with homecare
Senior homecare services let you maintain your schedule by providing respite care for family members. In-home care services for the elderly provide nonmedical homecare services that let our elderly loved ones maintain the independence of their daily routines in familiar surroundings. Services such as meal preparation, light housekeeping, hygiene assistance and companionship are provided by qualified caregivers. For your family’s well being and peace of mind, it’s crucial to work with a homecare company that’s insured, bonded and closely supervises its caregivers. An employee-based agency provides the most oversight and quality assurance.
Senior homecare and employee assistance programs
Now is a great time for businesses to have plans in place that support their employees who are caring for members of the rapidly growing elderly population. Many companies’ human resources and benefits departments have begun to raise their employees’ awareness of the benefits of senior homecare. These services offer a welcome respite for family caregivers and peace of mind that their loved one is being cared for while they’re at work. Some businesses have chosen to partner with homecare companies in their employee assistance programs. Where appropriate, the employee is provided information and resources that can greatly reduce their burdens. There’s usually no cost to the partnering company, and they can often work with your subsidiaries and labor groups. Senior homecare is a wonderful way to improve both a worker’s productivity and their quality of life while helping to keep senior loved ones safe and comfortable.
It’s a win-win situation for the employer, the worker and the senior.
