How the Pandemic Changed Work-Life Balance for Caregivers of Older Adults

If there is one particular positive after-effect regarding the pandemic, it is the awareness generated for the plight of family caregivers. Managing work and home life has always been an incredible challenge for caregivers of older adults. 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 for the future for caregivers of older adults:

• More telecommuting. Those who began working at home in the last year have, in a lot of cases, proven their capability to be much more productive. Due to this fact, it is forecast that approximately 25 – 30% of the workforce within the U.S. will continue telecommuting at least several days per week this year.
• Lower stress. Doing away with the daily commute opens up additional time for self-care for family caregivers, while increasing peace of mind. This is particularly true for those who relied on public transportation and were concerned with compromised health safety. To further boost mental health, many employers are offering subscriptions to meditation and mindfulness smartphone apps.
• 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 loved ones. This means that the workplace has started to become more humanized, leading to a more empathetic working environment.
• Focus on mental health. Along those lines, there’s also now greater awareness of the need for taking good care of our mental health. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll reported that nearly 45 percent of adults experienced negative mental wellness effects due to the pandemic – and an even more substantial percentage in those who function as family caregivers for older family members. Many employers are now implementing techniques to care for the mental health of their employees, such as offering virtual adventures and trips to present the opportunity to relax and escape.

Let CareWorks Health Services further help cultivate a better work-life balance with our dependable respite care services. Regular, ongoing respite care is vital to the overall wellness of family caregivers. Our skilled and compassionate home healthcare team is readily available to help with anything from just a couple hours weekly up to and including 24/7 care. Reach out to us at (949) 859-4700 to request a complimentary in-home consultation to learn more about our Huntington Beach senior services. For a full list of the locations we serve, visit our Service Area page.