If there is one positive after-effect associated with the pandemic, it’s the attention generated for the plight of family caregivers. Managing work and home life has always been a tremendous challenge for those taking care of a senior relative. As Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, CEO of Wellthy, explains, “Caregiving went from a silent struggle to being in the spotlight overnight.”
Businesses were unexpectedly thrown into the fire of navigating a world of managing the safety of staff along with the necessity to keep up productivity. Here’s what we discovered – and what we can expect for the future:
• More telecommuting. Those who began working from home over the last year have, in several cases, proven their capability to be much more productive. Due to this fact, it’s forecast that as many as 25 – 30% of the workforce in the United States will continue telecommuting at least several days per week this year.
• Reduced stress. Doing away with the daily commute opens up additional time for self-care for family caregivers, while enhancing peace of mind. This is particularly true for those who relied on public transportation and were concerned about compromised health safety. To help boost mental health, many employers are offering subscriptions to meditation and mindfulness applications.
• A corporate culture of caring. Working from home has opened up the personal portions of our lives to employers. Zoom meetings share our living spaces with each other, including the appearance of pets, children, along with other members of the family. This means that the workplace is becoming more humanized, leading to a more empathetic working environment.
• Emphasis on mental wellness. Along those lines, there is also now enhanced understanding of the necessity of attending to our mental wellness. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll reported that up to 45% of adults experienced negative mental wellness affects as a consequence of the pandemic – and an even higher percentage in those who function as family caregivers for older family members. Many employers are now implementing approaches to take care of the mental health of their employees, such as offering virtual trips and adventures to present the opportunity to escape and relax.
Let Independence-4-Seniors Home Care further help foster a significantly better work-life balance with our trusted respite care services. Regular, ongoing respite care is key to the general wellness of family caregivers. Our skilled and compassionate home care team is readily available to help with anything from just a few hours each week up to around-the clock care. Give us a call at (630) 323-4665 or fill out our online contact form to ask about a free in-home assessment and discover how we provide the kind of senior care Elmhurst and other nearby areas recommend most.