As we’ve reiterated before, it’s incredibly hard to maintain a full-time job while providing care for an ailing or aging loved one. However, there are some things that working caregivers can do to help avoid burnout and promote balance in their life.
1. Working caregivers need to communicate honestly and openly with their employers. The only way employers can help their caregiver employees is if they know about their caregiving duties. Furthermore, most employers don’t completely understand what goes into full-time caregiving. Working caregivers should tell their employer everything that is going on in their caregiving situation, as well as the amount of time that they have to dedicate to their caregiver duties. Also, this communication needs to be continuous. Working caregivers need to keep their employers in the loop, and let them know when their ailing or aging loved one isn’t doing well. That way, there will be no unexpected surprises if the working caregiver has to leave to go to the hospital or bring their ailing or aging loved one to the doctor.
2. They can also talk to the person they’re caring for. Working caregivers need to remember to talk to their ailing or aging loved one. Usually, caregivers blame themselves and feel guilty if they aren’t dedicated 100% of their time to their ailing or aging loved one. However, if the working caregiver is regularly communicating with their ailing or aging loved one, they can take time for work or themselves without feeling guilty. Communicating their needs will help their ailing or aging loved one is incredibly important to avoiding burnout.
3. Working caregivers need to remember their friends and families. Working caregivers are usually so caught up in their responsibilities that they forget to ask for help. Remind any working caregivers that their friends and family are always available to help, even though they may not be the primary caregivers. If the caregiver isn’t comfortable relinquishing any of their caregiving duties, they can ask for help with running errands for themselves or picking up prescriptions.
4. Working caregivers have to take time to themselves. This is probably the most important thing that a working caregiver can do to prevent burnout. It doesn’t mean every working caregiver needs to take a week vacation immediately, but they do need to start committing at least 15 minutes a day to time alone.
5. Talk to your employer about other options. Many employers offer eldercare support programs. Here at Long Term Solutions, we offer one of those programs to employers called WeCare+. It is a unique program that is specifically designed to help working caregivers find support and balance. While some employers don’t offer eldercare specific programs, they may offer flextime, telecommuting options, and more.
To learn more about Long Term Solutions and WeCare+, you can visit our website by clicking here.
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