New Research Reveals Working Women Experience Stigma Due to Caregiving
Home Instead Senior Care Offers Resources to Support Employees Caring for Aging Parents
By Mary Ann Freedman Home Instead Senior Care
Stigma Due to Caregiving: A new survey found that half of working female caregivers feel they have to choose between being a good employee and being a good daughter. In addition, 25% of working daughters report a workplace stigma associated with being a caregiver for an aging parent, and 23% have found that their supervisor is unsympathetic, according to Home Instead Inc.
In an effort to start a conversation about how working family caregivers can be better supported in the workplace, Home Instead Senior Care has launched a new public education program, Daughters in the WorkplaceSM. The new program offers free resources to help educate working family caregivers on how to work with their employers to address some of the challenges they face.
“Often, we see working caregivers who feel that they have to make a choice between work and their aging loved one,” said Bruce Mahony, Managing Director of Home Instead Senior Care in Toronto. “They are often unaware of what resources are available and how to navigate those conversations with their employer.”
Home Instead offers the following tips to family caregivers to help relieve stress and achieve better balance.
- Be realistic. Take time to understand how much you can do to take care of a loved one, do well at your job, and stay healthy.
- Honesty is the best policy. Be honest with yourself and your employer about the issues you are facing and what you need. Create a plan that contains ways you can complete your work and still meet your loved one’s needs.
- Get plenty of rest. Think about ways you can enhance the quality of your sleep. This will help you handle life’s daily challenges.
- Ask for help including respite care. Sometimes a little help goes a long way. Check with your employer about any backup emergency care services your company might offer through an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Some do. Think about ways others could help you. If you have family nearby, they may be able to help, or check with your local Home Instead Senior Care® office (www.HomeInstead.ca) to learn how professional caregiving could help you.
- Look for ways to give back. If your employer offers flexibility and help, think about ways to do something extra and, step up to the plate!
Home Instead Senior Care provides non-medical in-home care services for seniors in their homes and in retirement and care residences in Central Toronto. Care can range from a few hours per week up to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information you can reach Bruce Mahony in the neighbourhood at 21 Belmont Street or call 416 972 5096.
Stigma Due to Caregiving
Between March 21 and 28, 2017, 1,001 working female caregivers, aged 45-60, were surveyed in Canada and the United States by Home Instead, Inc., franchisor of the Home Instead Senior Care network.
