So many caregivers across the world are sandwiched between the needs of their home and workplace. Having to take care of your children, aging parents, a busy spouse, and a full-time job can be extremely overwhelming. Plus, it takes an immense toll on your emotional and physical well-being.
While sometimes, caregiving could mean only a few weeks of work as your loved one recovers from an illness or accident, it often becomes a life-long situation for people with seniors in the family. Caregiver stress and burnout can happen easily, and they need to be dealt with to prevent a full-blown health crisis in the future.
Here are some of the things you should do to manage your duties as a caregiver alongside your full-time job.
1. Apprise your employer of your situation
Letting your employer know that you have a caregiver role that you need to fulfill at home is possibly one of the best decisions you can make for your peace of mind. Let your manager know that you have an aging parent to look after. Both of you can together brainstorm ways to either lighten your workload or have more flexibility with timings, without losing your income. When you have a flexible and supportive workplace, it will become much easier to manage caregiving at home, without feeling burned out.
2. Find part-time or freelance work, if possible
Thanks to the various work-from-home opportunities these days, it is much easier to find a job that doesn’t require you to be in the office all day. If it is feasible for you financially and otherwise, consider taking up either part-time roles, or freelance work that you have more control over. This will help you monitor the health of your loved ones more closely, and reduce stress that comes with balancing caregiving and a full-time job.
3. Make self care a priority
Caring for a senior, especially if they need constant attention, usually leaves very little time for anything else. However, you still do need to take care of your health to be able to care for your loved ones. Taking out even 30 minutes a day to do something you love can be extremely helpful. You could take a walk in the park, meditate, read a book, listen to music, or simply sit by yourself. All of these are extremely important for you to be able to better manage your workplace and caregiving responsibilities.
4. Get family or friends to help you
One mistake that we tend to make when trying to balance work duties and caregiving roles is that we forget to delegate or ask for help. It is not only impossible for someone to do everything by themselves, but also detrimental to their overall health. It is okay to ask your spouse, sibling, or other family member to take up certain tasks from time to time. You can even take some time off from caregiving if you need to focus on some important, work-related issue, and delegate duties to your family members. It will help you work better, knowing that there is someone trustworthy who is looking after your loved one.
5. Get professional help
We understand that it is difficult to trust an outsider to take care of your loved ones. But getting professional help can not only aid the recuperation of your seniors, but also give you enough time to manage your workload in the office. There are a plethora of options available when it comes to home care services, who not only assist your seniors with day-to-day activities such as bathing, dressing, walking, etc., but also provide medical consultation, home diagnostics services, daily patient care, and even emergency response services.
If you are one of the many caregivers unable to deal with the challenges of juggling work and home, Antara’s Care at Home services are here for you. At Antara, we believe in not just being another agency, but a healthcare partner that you can trust with your life.
We all know that sometimes, circumstances do not allow us to be there to tend to our loved ones. Which is why Antara steps in to deliver quality, responsive home care service at your doorstep. Our Care at Home services offer a mix of personalized care and attention by a diligent team of highly trained professionals, under the guidance and supervision of reputed clinicians. We promise to bring the whole healthcare ecosystem to the comfort of your home, so that you can entrust the care of your loved ones to us. Right from home critical care, nursing care, to clinical quality home diagnostics, and comprehensive home check-ups, we offer a 24*7, comprehensive solution to all your caregiving needs.
To get access to quality healthcare for your loved ones, get in touch with us at (+91) 98114-41111
