If you’ve paid attention to the news lately, you have seen that there are some major issues within the senior care industry right now. For several years, experts have warned of an impending senior care crisis, where the number of people that need care will grow larger than what the number of people in the business are capable of helping.
More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic pointed out the shortcomings of the care system. There is a lot of need in this industry. Some employers have taken strides to correct it, others haven’t. The problems still exist in many areas of the country, but thanks to more widespread knowledge about the needs in this industry, it’s beginning to change on a larger scale.
One of the tools that care businesses are using to attract and keep high quality employees is a higher rate of pay. However, this isn’t enough. Caregivers need to be paid what they’re worth, for sure. But, they also need the support of their employer. They need to know that the work that they do is important and that they are valued. They need to know that they are important as people, too.
Being a caregiver is really hard work. There’s no question about that. But when you have a strong support system, it becomes easier. A strong team is always better than the sum of its parts. A team can accomplish things that an individual could never dream about. This concept is really important when it comes to senior care, yet so many people try to do it on their own. Unfortunately, it ends up being all involved that miss out when this happens.
This goes for family caregivers, too. After all, no one is caring for an older loved one because they are making money off of it. There’s no money in this, it’s just an act of love.
But that doesn’t mean that it’s easy to do. Sometimes you need the support of others to do this job well. Being a family caregiver can be a thankless job. It’s long hours, hard work, and not always very rewarding. Even though you love your family with all your heart, the grind of this happening day after day can be exhausting, especially when you consider all of the other things that are going on in your life.
That’s where in-home care can help. A caregiver can help to relieve some of that burden, making sure that you aren’t carrying the load of responsibility all by yourself. Perhaps a full time caregiver isn’t necessary in your situation, though. That’s where respite care can help. In general, in-home care is great because it can be customized to meet your family’s unique needs. From just once in a while to full time, a professional caregiver can step in and help where needed, allowing you to do what you need to do to continue to help and provide for your family.
When care is approached as a team, it becomes more effective. It helps everyone to get more out of their life and help those around them to a greater degree.
Leave a Reply