Working From Home While Caring for a Senior
Many adults shifted from working in an office environment to working from home during the coronavirus pandemic. While COVID-19 restrictions have eased, some people are continuing to work at home indefinitely.
The remote work arrangement has enabled many individuals with aging loved ones to become more involved in senior care at home. However, some may find it challenging to balance employment responsibilities with the demands of managing a loved one’s care needs long-term.
The Challenges of Working from Home and Senior Care
When working from home, you may need to answer emails, participate in video conference calls, write reports, and do other tasks you conducted at the office. However, it can be difficult concentrating when you need to take frequent breaks to meet the requests of an older adult who is living with you or nearby.
The responsibilities increase—and can be overwhelming—when you factor in family and household responsibilities like school pick-ups/drop-offs, doctor appointments, meal preparation, shopping, and cleaning and laundry.
How Visiting Angels Can Make Working from Home Easier
Whether your senior loved one resides with you or not, an in-home personal caregiver can handle senior care tasks during your work-at-home hours.
Here are a few benefits of hiring a professional caregiver while working from home:
- Reduced interruptions
Frequent interruptions can break your concentration, lower productivity, and limit your ability to host a conference call or talk on the phone. A Visiting Angels’ caregiver can anticipate and meet your loved one’s needs so you can devote your full attention to business.
- More companionship and less boredom
A professional caregiver at home will give your loved one someone to interact with to reduce feelings of loneliness and boredom. Plus, it will allow you to complete your work and catch up with your loved one at a more convenient time.
- Increased safety
If your senior has cognitive, health, or mobility issues, they may need constant attention to maintain their safety. If critical work tasks have you tied up longer than expected, you could forget to remind them to eat or take important medications, such as insulin. If your loved one uses a walker and needs to use the restroom while you are on a conference call, they might try to get up on their own and could experience a debilitating fall. A trusted professional caregiver can be by your loved one’s side to reduce the risk of missed meals or medications or prevent accidents and mishaps.
- Flexibility that fits your schedule
At Visiting Angels, we understand not everyone works 9-5. Our caregivers are available to help you care for your older loved one if you work evenings, overnights, or weekends. We can also assist if you only need part-time care for a few days or hours per week.
- Time for self-care
Caring for an older loved one while working from home isn’t easy. Even if you have help during your workday, it’s important to focus on yourself. Visiting Angels’ respite care services can give you a break to run errands, attend a social function, or meet personal or family obligations that fall on evenings or weekends.
If working from home while caring for your senior has you feeling stressed and overwhelmed, hiring a Visiting Angels’ caregiver may be the ideal senior care solution. To learn more about how Visiting Angels can help, contact your local home care agency to schedule a no-cost, no-obligation in-home consultation.