Family caregiver support from employers may look different post-pandemic.If there’s one particular positive after-effect associated with the pandemic, it’s been family caregiver support and appreciation. Managing work and home life has long been an incredible challenge for people caring for a senior member of the family. As Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, CEO of Wellthy, explains, “Caregiving went from a silent struggle to being in the spotlight overnight.”
Employers were abruptly thrown into the fire of directing an environment of balancing the safety of staff along with the necessity to keep up productivity. Here is what we discovered – and what we can expect in the future:
- More telecommuting. Those who began working from home over the last year have, in a lot of cases, demonstrated their capability to be more productive. Consequently, it is predicted that as many as 25 – 30% of the workforce in the United States will continue telecommuting at least a few days a week this year.
- Decreased stress. Eliminating the daily commute opens up more time for self-care for family caregivers, while boosting peace of mind. This is especially true for many who relied on public transportation and were concerned with compromised health safety. To further boost mental health, many employers are providing subscriptions to mindfulness and meditation applications.
- A corporate culture of caring. Working from home has exposed the personal portions of our lives to employers. Zoom meetings share our living spaces with each other, including the appearance of pets, children, and other members of the family. Due to this, the workplace is becoming more humanized, resulting in a more empathetic working environment.
- Focus on mental health. Along those lines, there is also now enhanced awareness of the necessity of taking care of our mental health. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll reported that as many as 45% of adults experienced negative mental health affects resulting from the pandemic – and an even higher percentage in people who function as family caregivers for senior loved ones. Many employers have started implementing approaches to attend to the mental health of their employees, such as offering virtual adventures and trips to provide the chance to relax and escape.
Let Home Sweet Home In-Home Care further help nurture a healthier work-life balance with our dependable Portage in home care and respite care services. Regular, ongoing respite care is vital to the general wellness of family caregivers. Our skilled and compassionate home healthcare team is on hand to help with anything from only a few hours each week up to and including around-the clock care. Reach out to schedule a complimentary in-home assessment to get started. For a full list of the communities we serve, please visit our Locations page. Give us a call at (269) 373-5444 in Kalamazoo, (269) 763-5350 in Paw Paw, (269) 849-9252 in St. Joseph, or (269) 963-9888 in Battle Creek.