While caring for your elderly loved one can be a rewarding experience, factoring it into life’s daily demands can be both emotionally and physically draining. Lack of proper work-life balance can strain relationships, whether with your employer or family, and increase burnout. Here are some proactive steps to help you balance work and caring for an elderly parent.
Set Boundaries
Your desire might be to be with your older adults all the time, but that may not be possible if you have a job and you need to commute. The first thing to do before starting to offer care is to establish clear boundaries.
Let your loved one know how far you can stretch in terms of support and when you can find time to be with them. These clear limits and boundaries will cultivate mutual respect for each other’s time and make those moments you share together more special.
Come Up with an Assistance Plan
One way to get assistance when you are at work and need to care for your loved one is to find home care near me. Most home care providers have personal experience handling older family members and can provide the much-needed relief.
You can engage home care services as long or as frequently as possible, daily or weekly, depending on your work schedule. Your loved one will have access to an entirely flexible personalized care schedule, which may include personal care, meal preparation, medication reminders, companionship, and respite care.
By delegating part of your caregiving responsibilities to professionals with the right skills, you will have enough time to de-stress and handle your work while being confident that your family member is okay.
Utilize Technology to Save Time
You can use advanced technology tools like online health services, prescription management, and shared calendars to streamline your work and caregiving responsibilities. These tools will help you to complete repetitive tasks quickly, encourage forward planning, and keep you connected with your elderly family members when you are far away.
You might want to get a waterproof and wearable digital personal alarm with ActiveAlert technology. This will help improve your loved one’s safety, especially when you are not around to watch over them physically.
Know Your Workplace Benefits
Understanding your workplace benefits is one of the best ways to improve work-life balance, but it is often overlooked. Review your employee handbook and engage the HR department to learn more about the kind of resources, benefits, and financial assistance you can get via your workplace insurance plan.
Some companies provide employer-sponsored parental care, telecommuting, counseling, family leave, and other employee assistance programs. Knowing the employee benefits available to you will help relieve some of your stress.
Adjust Your Schedule
Sometimes, all you need to do is to strike a balance between your work and caregiving is to rearrange your work schedule. Fortunately, more companies are now offering more flexible work scheduling options.
If your job schedule allows, you can start your day by assisting your loved one and then begin your workday later. Another option is having a compressed schedule that allows you to work for four long shifts and have an off day on the fifth day for caregiving.
Working and taking care of your family members requires a considerable investment of time, money, and effort. By utilizing these tips, you can minimize burnout, use time wisely, and simplify daily life.
