{"id":1217,"date":"2017-01-24T05:19:53","date_gmt":"2017-01-24T05:19:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/?p=1217"},"modified":"2017-01-24T05:19:53","modified_gmt":"2017-01-24T05:19:53","slug":"work-care-delicate-balance-managed-family-caregivers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/2017\/01\/24\/work-care-delicate-balance-managed-family-caregivers\/","title":{"rendered":"Work and Care: The Delicate Balance Managed by Family Caregivers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/103\/2017\/01\/Sign-1024x682.jpg\" width=\"350\" height=\"233\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1218\" \/>The challenges of the family caregiver are gaining more visibility. But there\u2019s one part of the family caregiving story that still needs much more attention: the struggles of the family caregiver who\u2019s also maintaining a job. New data is giving us a clearer picture of the impact of caregiving on work-life balance, as well as employee productivity and performance. Let\u2019s review that data, and explore opportunities for family caregivers to get more support during their 9-to-5.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Working family caregivers are in good company.<br \/>\n<\/strong><span>An estimated one-fifth of today\u2019s working Americans are also family caregivers, which means they are, in essence, juggling two jobs: a paid career and an unpaid labor of love. The stress of this balancing act is real. Working caregivers don\u2019t want to let anyone down \u2013 not at work or at home. According to the <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aarp.org\/ppi\/issues\/caregiving\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">AARP Public Policy Institute<\/a><span>, 69 percent of working caregivers report having to change their work schedules, decrease their hours or take unpaid leave to meet their caregiving duties. Managing two demanding roles can take a toll on working caregivers, putting a strain on their emotional and physical health and their financial well-being. Not to mention the consequences for their employers in terms of lost productivity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>The data about the impact of the dual role is compelling.<br \/>\n<\/strong><span>A joint study by the <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.caregiving.org\/caregiving2015\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP<\/a><span> revealed the impact of family caregiving on work. Survey respondents reported the following effects of their caregiving roles on their jobs:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>49% regularly go in late, leave early and\/or take time off<\/li>\n<li>15% take a leave of absence<\/li>\n<li>14% reduce hours or take less-demanding positions<\/li>\n<li>7% receive a warning about performance\/attendance<\/li>\n<li>6% give up work entirely<\/li>\n<li>5% turn down promotions<\/li>\n<li>4% retire early<\/li>\n<li>3% lose job benefits<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Choices for family caregivers aren\u2019t easy.<br \/>\n<\/strong><span>When work requirements conflict with caregiving tasks, the family caregiver is forced to make a choice. Family often wins out, and the employer can face significant losses. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.caregiver.org\/caregiver-statistics-work-and-caregiving\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Statistics<\/a><span> show employers lose tens of billions of dollars each year due to absenteeism, reduced work hours, workday interruptions, costs associated with replacing employees who\u2019ve left jobs due to caregiving, and increased healthcare costs due to caregiving\u2019s\u00a0physical and emotional toll.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Employees, too, face impacts from these concessions, which can derail their careers, affect their earning potential and diminish their financial outlook. It\u2019s clear employers must consider ways to help employees be more productive by supporting better balance of work and caregiving responsibilities. Employers like Palo Alto Software, Pitney Bowes, Emory University, caring.com and pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Astellas are beginning to do just that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Collaborating with employers can make a difference.<br \/>\n<\/strong><span>Family caregivers can take action to influence these issues:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Start a conversation. <\/strong>Employers can\u2019t help working caregivers if they don\u2019t understand their needs. Reinforce your continued commitment to your work, but be upfront about your caregiving situation. Increased awareness and understanding of family caregiver challenges can improve the potential for better balance of responsibilities at work and at home.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Develop a plan. <\/strong>If a family caregiving role is likely to be a long-term situation, consider proactively documenting a plan for how you can meet your work responsibilities, and how flexibility can help you remain productive.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Engage human resources. <\/strong>Explore and consider all possible support options with your company\u2019s human resources team. Alternative work schedules are becoming more commonplace, and can include flextime, compressed work hours, telecommuting and job sharing. Some companies are also beginning to offer benefits \u2013 often through Employee Assistance Programs \u2013 that can provide support or connect family caregivers with services like stress management programs, counseling, legal and financial assistance, respite care and support groups.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Recommend programs. <\/strong>Influential organizations are spearheading efforts to support working family caregivers. Urge your company to get involved in programs\u00a0like the new partnership between AARP, the National Alliance for Caregiving and Pfizer. Their <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aarp.org\/content\/dam\/aarp\/home-and-family\/caregiving\/ReAct\/employer-resource-guide.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Respect A Caregiver\u2019s Time \u2013 or ReACT \u2013<\/a>\u00a0program provides educational resources, online tools and research to help managers and human resources executives take action to support employee caregivers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Organize a support group. <\/strong>With 20 percent of the workforce playing the dual role of employee and family caregiver, chances are you have coworkers who share your challenges. Consider connecting with them through a support group, network or other collaborative activity.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Know your rights. <\/strong>If your caregiving responsibilities require you to step away from your job \u2013 even temporarily \u2013 understand your rights. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) may apply to your situation. Typically, employers with 50 or more employees must comply with FMLA, which entitles eligible workers to 12 weeks per year of unpaid leave for family caregiving. Taking this leave would not impact your health insurance coverage or job security. More information can be found on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dol.gov\/whd\/fmla\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. Department of Labor\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Be aware of public policy. <\/strong>President-Elect Donald Trump highlights the needs of family caregivers in his plan for the first 100 days of his administration. Specifically, his \u201cContract with the American Voter\u201d proposes the Affordable Childcare and Eldercare Act, which would allow for tax deductions for eldercare expenses and create tax-free Dependent Care Savings Accounts for elderly dependents.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>While the task of juggling work and family caregiving can be overwhelming, there are resources that can help provide a better balance. Working caregivers shouldn\u2019t have to feel like they are going it alone. The help you need\u00a0is out there.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Supporting family caregivers.<br \/>\n<\/strong><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FirstLight Home Care \u2013 South Sound<\/a> can be a lifeline for family caregivers. If you need advice about a caregiving issue, call us<\/span><span>\u00a0connect to an expert today. Or<\/span><span>\u00a0learn more about how we support family caregivers and their loved ones. For more tips and tools for family caregivers, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FirstLightOly\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">follow us on Facebook<\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The challenges of the family caregiver are gaining more visibility. But there\u2019s one part of the family caregiving story that still needs much more attention: the struggles of the family caregiver who\u2019s also maintaining a job. New data is giving us a clearer picture of the impact of caregiving on&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":151,"featured_media":1218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-care"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/151"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1217"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1217\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-olympia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}