The Working Family Caregiver, a Free E-Book

Susan starts her day at 5 a.m. so she has a few moments alone to write in her journal. Then, it starts: Getting ready for work, waking her mom, waiting for the home health aide, updating the aide on the previous night, checking with her husband about which errands they’ll each run at lunch, then finally leaving at 7 a.m. She leaves the house, but she takes the worries. How much longer will they be able to afford...

How Do You Manage Caregiving and Your Career?

The New York Times published an article this afternoon with tips on how to manage work while you’re caregiving. (You can read the article here.) The tips mentioned in the article include: using the Family and Medical Leave Act in order to create plans, manage emergencies, transition your caree into another care setting; checking with your HR Department to learn about resources available to you which can...

Poll: Does Your Employer Provide Flexibility?

Working and caregiving can be tough to mix: They both are full-time jobs. In this week’s poll, sponsored by Caregiving.com and eCareDiary.com, we ask: Does your employer provide the flexibility you need? Please vote and feel free to share your stories in our comments section. Does Your Employer Provide the Flexibility You Need as a Caregiver?survey software Related Articles When Have You...

Coping When You Have a Job (Like Caregiving) That Causes You to Feel Less Than You

At some point in our lives, we’ll have jobs that we take that are less than what we can do. We take them out of economic need or because of convenience or simply because it’s what we can find. We complete menial tasks or report to insensitive and overbearing managers or sit near uncooperative co-workers. Sounds kinda like caregiving, doesn’t it? So, when caregiving feels like it’s less than...

Ask Denise: Can I Get a Stipend for Caregiving?

Dear Denise, I’ve been searching all day for answers and did not find any but I did find your web site. I wish I had found it sooner and had the time to go through it now. I have so many questions it may take a month of Sundays to ask them. Of course that always leads to more. What I am trying to find today is is there any info on a monthly stipend to help take care of elderly disabled parent(s)? My mom had...

Talk Show Round-Up

It was a busy week on Your Caregiving Journey! On Wednesday morning, Chirag Patel from Halo Monitoring took us into the future, telling us know about emerging technology that can help family caregivers. We learned that Best Buy is pilot-testing a section of stores in Seattle devoted to health gadgets. This to me is wonderful news because of its potential: Imagine! You don’t have to wonder where to buy a...

Live Who You Are So You Die As You Were

Image by dsb nola via Flickr Yesterday, on Your Caregiving Journey, we spoke with Wilma Naschin, who shared tips on how to rebound from a lay-off. (This is the first of a three-part series on recovering from job loss; up next week: Starting Your Job Search. You can listen to the show via the player at the bottom of the post.) During our discussion, I remembered the story of a friend’s father, James. James...

Older Job-Hunters Need New Attitudes, Specific Skills, Fresh Expectations

A new study from the MetLife Mature Market Institute reports that many Americans over the age of 55 plan to work at least until age 69, but that most who look for a job face challenges in finding one. Yet, Department of Labor projections indicate that the 55+ population will account for almost 93% of the net increase in the U.S. Civilian Labor Force between 2006-2016. The research found in Buddy, Can You Spare a...

Ask Denise: Will I Have the Right Skills for Employment?

Dear Denise, I’m in my early 50s and taking care of my mom. Lately, I’ve been worrying about what I will do after my mom is gone. I know I have to get a job, but am worried that I don’t have the skills needed to find one. I suppose it’s not a good idea to worry today about tomorrow… But, I am worried. Any suggestions? Hello, I’m not a proponent of worrying, either. I think planning ahead is a great...

Should Caregiving Have Its Own Diagnosis?

A new member of one of our online support groups recently wrote me with an interesting thought. “I think caregiving deserves its own diagnosis,” she said. Hmm… So, I asked Donna, who has a M.S. in counseling and cares for her mother, to expand on her idea. My questions and her answers follow. Caregiving: Do you remember inspiration for the idea of caregiving as a mental health...

Working Family Caregivers Get Better Best Practices

Image via Wikipedia This week, the The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission updated its recommendations to employers to help their working family caregivers. In its report, the Commission wrote: Employers adopting flexible workplace policies that help employees achieve a satisfactory work-life balance may not only experience decreased complaints of unlawful discrimination, but may also benefit their...

Should We Quit Our Jobs?

Dear Denise, My 81-year-old mother-in-law was diagnosed with Dementia about 5 years ago and diabetes a few months ago. She lived in an apt for about 3 years. The last 2 ½ years she has lived in an apt that we built in our backyard. She is spouse of a veteran so receives survivor benefits and social security. Total amount of income is approx $1,450.00 per month. My mother-in-law is getting to the stage where one of...