In many Asian countries, living with elderly family members is far more routine than what we see in the U.S. Meeting their needs while being at home may have been more difficult due to COVID, but it wasn’t necessarily new. Instead of working away from the home and then helping with care after work, it became necessary to balance these two things.
Something revealing recently came out of India, after a survey of many elderly individuals that are cared for by family members. More than 60 percent claimed that they faced some sort of neglect while receiving ongoing care from family members, and the vast majority of them stated it was because of interpersonal conflict amongst family members. More than 70 percent of respondents to the survey claimed that their instances of feeling neglected actually increased during the pandemic–even though family members were home with them all the time.
What’s the solution to this? Obviously, we don’t want the people that we love feeling this way. So what can we do to help ensure that these numbers don’t reflect how the people in our own lives feel?
In many ways, the ability to work from home has been a huge blessing for people. It has allowed us to each spend more time with our families. For many, this has not been easy, though. It has revealed a lot of our own personal flaws and has also shown that we might not be as close and as loving to the people around us as we thought we’ve been. Although this may have been a tough time for you and your family, sometimes these growing pains are necessary for us to become better family members.
It’s been the same way when it’s come to senior care. Many families decided that they are in a position where they can just help out their elderly loved ones themselves without needing to rely on a professional care service.
The important thing to remember when working from home and providing care is that you don’t have to do this alone. Even though you’re home more often doesn’t mean you have to be the only one to help provide care. Professional care can come to you, through in-home care or in some other form. There are avenues of help if you are feeling overwhelmed by these new responsibilities.
We are all experiencing different situations. Many families have emerged from the haze of the pandemic and have started to resume life as normal, and therefore senior care as normal. But not everyone. Different parts of the country are still experiencing different things. Some families are still really struggling because of COVID. This is why your personal experience and set of circumstances is so important. When dealing with care, you need to take these things into account, too.
It’s a lot. There’s no doubt about that. But please know that you have help on your side. Even if it’s just a phone call to answer your questions, we’re here. Please reach out if you’re unsure of next steps, have questions, or are looking for the right care service for your needs. We’ll get you pointed in the right direction.
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