Regardless of whether or not you love your job, the workplace can, at times, be stressful. Now consider how stressful it can be for those who have a second full-time job taking care of an older or disabled family member.
For many family caregivers, balancing caregiving and a career can be virtually impossible, along with taking care of a home and family, and caring for an older loved one, which can quickly lead to overwhelming stress and anxiety, even carrying over into the workplace at times. Work life balance for family caregivers is essential, but it can be challenging.
An average of one in every four households is involved in providing care for a chronically ill, disabled or aging family member, and more than half of family caregivers also work full-time. These are some red flags of caregiver stress to be sure to watch out for:
- Speaking too loudly or too fast
- Frequent yawning and feelings of exhaustion
- Feeling fidgety, biting nails, pacing, etc.
- Irritability, feeling too critical or too sensitive, anger or irrationality when responding to problems
- Negativity
- Difficulty with focusing
- Problems with decision-making
- Making frequent mistakes
- Marked confusion or worry
- Altered work habits
- Frequently missing time from work
- Neglect of personal appearance or hygiene
Stressed family caregivers are more likely to have absences from work because of sickness or care responsibilities, but there is a viable solution. Working with a high-quality home care agency like Advanced Home Health Care allows individuals to find work life balance for family caregivers.
If you would like to learn more about how we can help, reach out to us today and request a free in-home consultation! Our services can include help with tasks such as:
- Personal care and hygiene, including bathing/showering, getting dressed, using the toilet, incontinence care, etc.
- Planning/preparing nutritious meals, following any dietary restrictions
- Transportation and accompaniment to medical appointments and procedures as well as enjoyable outings
- Therapy and rehabilitation
- Running errands, like picking up groceries or prescriptions
- Light housekeeping and laundry
- Friendly companionship to make each day brighter with conversations, games, puzzles, exercise and fun hobbies
- And more
Reach out to Advanced Home Health Care, the top provider of home care in Fort Madison and nearby areas in Des Moines, Lee, Henry, Louisa and Van Buren Counties, at 800.791.7785. Let us know about the challenges your older loved one is facing, and then, we’ll create a customized plan of care to help.