If there is one particular positive after-effect of the pandemic, it is the appreciation generated for the plight of family caregivers. Managing work and home life has always been a tremendous challenge for people caring for a senior family member. 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 directing an environment of balancing the safety of staff along with the need to maintain productivity. Here is what we learned – and what we should expect for the future:
- More telecommuting. Individuals who began working from home in the last year have, in many cases, demonstrated their ability to be much more productive. Because of this, it is forecast that a large portion of the workforce will continue telecommuting at least several days per week this year.
- Decreased stress. Eliminating the daily commute opens up more time for self-care for family caregivers, while enhancing peace of mind. This is particularly true for individuals who depended on public transportation and were concerned with compromised health safety. To further boost mental health, many employers are providing subscriptions to meditation and mindfulness apps.
- A corporate culture of caring. Working from home has exposed the personal aspects of our lives to employers. Zoom meetings share our living spaces with each other, including the appearance of pets, children, and other loved ones. Because of this, the workplace has started to become more humanized, resulting in a much more empathetic working environment.
- Emphasis on mental wellness. Along those lines, there's also now greater understanding of the value of attending to our mental health. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll shared that as many as 45% of adults experienced negative mental health affects due to the pandemic – and an even more substantial percentage in those who function as family caregivers for older loved ones. Many employers have started implementing strategies to attend to the mental health of their employees, such as offering virtual trips and adventures to provide the opportunity to escape and relax.
Let Amy’s Helping Hands further help nurture an improved work-life balance with our dependable respite care services. Regular, ongoing respite care is paramount to the all-around wellness of family caregivers. Our skilled and compassionate home care team is on hand to help with anything -- from only a couple of hours weekly up to and including 24/7 care. Contact us at 519-915-4370 to request an in-home assessment to find out more about our trusted Windsor Ontario home care services.
