Finding yourself caught between caring for your aging parent and working can be stressful. Whether you’re attending to your parent’s physical care, driving them to appointments, or running errands after work or on your lunch break, the stress and challenges can be overwhelming, potentially impacting your work performance. Finding reliable and trustworthy support to assist in caring for your parent while you’re at work can provide you with needed relief, allowing you to focus more effectively on your job while giving you peace of mind. This article will introduce and discuss various senior care options, such as senior day care and home care for seniors, that you can utilize during work hours to support your parent, enhance their quality of life, and bring you peace of mind.
Juggling caring for your parent and working: Finding balance and support
The emotional and physical strain of balancing work and caring for your parent can feel overwhelming. You may find yourself constantly worrying about your parent’s well-being while at work or figuring out how to address your parent’s needs without impacting your job. These demands can affect your work performance and your relationships with colleagues and may even pose a risk to your job stability. It’s important to acknowledge these challenges and recognize that you’re not alone in this journey.
Relief begins with learning about the community resources available that can provide the support you need. By creating a plan that leverages these resources, you can find comfort in knowing that your parent’s needs are met while you are working. This plan can improve your parent’s quality of life and support you in creating a healthier work-life balance.
Exploring senior care resources
This section will explore various senior care resources that might be available in your area to assist in caring for your parent while you work. By exploring these options, you can find the right support system that fits your unique situation, ensuring your parent receives the care they need while you maintain your professional responsibilities.
Respite care
Respite care provides temporary relief from daily caregiving duties. This service offers short-term care either in the home or at a facility. With respite care, professional caregivers come into your parent’s home or your parent stays in a senior living facility for the duration of the care. Either way, you receive a temporary break from providing care so that you can focus on work while ensuring your parent’s needs are met. You can arrange for specialized services that would address any specific needs of your parent, such as medical needs or dementia care.
To find respite care, you can explore local community programs, Area Agencies on Aging (AAA), the VA, Alzheimer’s and dementia organizations, and private home care services. Respite care is an invaluable resource because it gives you the opportunity to recharge or focus on other responsibilities while ensuring that you can continue to provide quality care for your loved one.
Companion care
Companion care involves a caregiver visiting your parent’s home to provide essential social support and connection. This companionship can significantly reduce feelings of isolation and increase your parent’s joy and happiness. Companions can:
- Engage in conversations.
- Participate in enjoyable activities.
- Go for walks.
- Accompany your parent to outings, medical appointments, or personal errands.
If your parent requires specialized care, such as for dementia or specific health needs, companion services may be able to tailor their plans accordingly. Some services specialize in areas like dementia, stroke recovery, or mental health support.
To find companion care services, consider reaching out to local home care agencies, senior-oriented volunteer organizations and nonprofits, religious groups, the VA, or your local Area Agency on Aging.
Companion care can provide you with the reassurance and support you need in meeting your parent’s needs. Knowing that your parent has consistent company during your working hours can offer you the reassurance that you need to focus on work and other areas of your life.
Home care
Home care services are designed to help your parent safely remain at home while receiving the additional care and assistance they need.
Depending on the agency, home care services can include:
- Personal care (assistance with bathing, toileting, grooming, dressing, etc.).
- Meal preparation and assistance with eating.
- Light household chores and cleaning.
- Laundry services.
- Medication reminders.
- Transportation to and from medical appointments.
- Assistance with morning and evening routines.
Based on your parent’s needs, home care plans can address specialized care requirements, such as those related to dementia and mobility limitations. Home care agencies should discuss and accommodate any specialized care needs during the intake process and when creating your parent’s care plan.
To explore home care options, you can reach out to local home care agencies, senior-oriented volunteer organizations and nonprofits, religious groups, the VA, or your local Area Agency on Aging. While home care is not typically covered by Medicare, depending on your parent’s insurance benefits, long-term care insurance, local resources, and state-specific plans, you may find some coverage for home care, or your parent may need to pay for these services.
Implementing home care services ensures that your parent’s needs are met while you are at work. The peace of mind that comes from knowing a home care worker is taking care of them can help you focus on your job and give you a needed break from managing your parent’s needs.
Adult (senior) day care or adult day health care programs
Adult day care programs, sometimes called senior day care programs, offer your parent personal care and socialization in a structured setting during daytime hours. Adult day health care programs do the same but also offer some medical care.
At an adult day care program, your parent can receive a variety of supports such as:
- Supervision and monitoring for safety.
- Meals and snacks.
- Assistance with activities of daily living such as toileting, grooming, and hygiene.
- Socialization and recreational activities.
- Transportation.
In addition to the above, adult day health care programs may offer medication administration, skilled nursing care, physical, occupational, and speech therapy, health monitoring, and support for ongoing health conditions.
Some senior day care programs focus on a specific issue, like cognitive impairment, while others provide general services to everyone.
To locate the programs closest to your parent, you can explore community resources such as your local Area Agency on Aging, the VA, or the local hospital. You can ask your parent’s physician for some recommendations. Adult day care programs may be located in a church, a hospital, or a freestanding center.
If your adult requires adult day health care, due to the medical nature of the care, your parent may have some insurance coverage for the programs. Some centers may receive financial support from local agencies or religious organizations. If your parent has long-term care insurance, the plan may cover the services. Otherwise, your parent may have to pay out of pocket for the program.
When your parent attends an adult day care program, you can feel more comfortable and confident in knowing that while your parent attends, their needs are met. It can alleviate some of the stressors you face so that you can move forward with your work day.
Special considerations for night shift workers
Night shift workers often face unique demands and challenges when balancing caregiving responsibilities with nontraditional work hours. Options such as adult day care programs may not be available in the evening hours, and in-home care might cost more per hour. However, it’s still imperative that your parent receive support to address their care needs while you work.
Some ideas to consider to meet these needs include:
- Asking family, friends, and neighbors to check in on your parent or stay with them during your night shift work hours.
- Looking for home care and companion care agencies that do offer evening and overnight shifts.
- Hiring a live-in caregiver who can stay with your parent while you work the night shift and sleep during the day.
- Making arrangements for daytime coverage while you sleep, such as adult day care or in-home services.
- Creating a rotating schedule with other family members who can assist with caregiving while you work or sleep.
By working closely with family, friends, home care agencies, and companion care providers, you can create a plan that will ensure that your parent is well cared for so you can rest and maintain your work schedule.
Balancing the demands of work while ensuring your parent’s needs are met can feel challenging, overwhelming, and frustrating. By using available resources and supports such as companion care, home care, and senior day care, you can create a plan that meets your family’s unique needs. With a plan in place, you can ensure your parent’s well-being and give yourself the peace of mind you need to focus on your work.
