By Nicole Levison

I remember the day that kicked off years of caregiving. My powerful, 6’4” great-grandfather fell in the bathroom. I was barely a teenager, but the only one in the house strong enough to help this former scientist and proud man get up. Suddenly, we both had to cope with an intimate and embarrassing failure that had us swapping roles.

Soon after, my grandmother cut her job responsibilities down to part-time to be available to her parents on a more regular basis—a sacrifice that allowed both of them the luxury of finishing out their lives in a dignified manner at home. The future repercussions, though, were many. Their house, which had been in our family more than 50 years, eventually had to be sold, their savings drained rather than passed on.

This is not an uncommon story. More often than not, there is no “happy” ending for caregivers who not only give care, but many times give up opportunities to advance and pursue their own lives. Sometimes there is only the satisfaction of knowing you are helping someone who means the world to you, and unfortunately this sentiment does not pay the bills.

Costly Employees?

While it is expensive for a company to replace a valuable employee, it is also costly to a company to cater to caregivers. According to TheFamilyCaregiver.org, caregiving responsibilities cost American businesses somewhere between $11 billion and $29 billion annually! Something to remember, though, is that underneath the corporate veneer, there are a bunch of people that comprise a company. Thus, when you face the challenges of caregiving, it is flesh and blood people who deal with their teams and want to do so with compassion and flexibility.

Some companies are better than others at not only recognizing the job flexibility needs of caregivers, but recognizing the stress and emotional involvement as well. Larger,national companies tend to have employment services that include access to volunteer organizations that help you run errands, take your loved one to appointments, or send someone to your house to look after Dad or Mom while you’re working.

Evaluate Your Options

If you are one of the two-thirds of caregivers who work outside of the home, you may find yourself considering alternative schedules and ways to juggle your responsibilities. Many employers just want to ensure the work gets done. More and more companies (and bosses) are taking this view. You could  work 10-hour days four days a week, and stay at home one day, or work Saturdays through Wednesdays or 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.—as long as you get your work done, it may be an option. Some employers enable employers to work through lunch and leave early, and, believe it or not, as the country ages, some employers offer Senior Daycare so you could take your mom to work and check on her throughout the day as needed. It does exist!

Going to Part-Time

If telecommuting, job share, and flextime are not viable options, you may contemplate working part-time. Some employers will enable you to keep all your medical benefits as long as you work a set amount of hours. This varies by company, but can be as little as 24 hours.

Before going to part-time, be sure you consider:

• Benefits. You may want to mull over working enough hours or years to maintain your health, retirement, vacation, and pension benefits.
• Money. A study conducted by the National Center on Women and Aging found that, on average, a female family caregiver loses more than $659,000 in lost retirement benefits and reduced salary over a lifetime.
• Supplemental income. There are many work-at-home careers that may be worth contemplating. Maybe this is a perfect time to start your own business? Or maybe it is the appropriate time to ask other family members to chip in for your caregiving services (which in turn would allow you to set up a pension plan of your own)?
• Support services. There are services—some are even available on a volunteer basis—to help you out at home if part time is not quite right for you yet. Eldercare Locator provides information on local caregiving services).
• Laws. In the United States, the laws and allowances vary from state to state, but there is the nationwide Family Medical Leave Act in place, which allows you take a leave of absence to take care of family members who are ill/recuperating, and you are guaranteed to still have a job upon your return. The experts at www.NationalPartnership.org can supply more information.
• Grants. There are ways of generating money besides your regular job, including sources that provide grants for your caregiving services. But you must be willing to do your research and invest a lot of time wading through paperwork and loads of information. Joining an organization such as National Family Caregivers Association or Family Caregiver Alliance can help—they advocate for family caregivers!

The good news: Throughout the world, organizations are recognizing the importance of the family caregivers’ role. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services appreciates the difficulties involved in balancing caregiving with work duties and provides information and resources encompassing all sorts of support, from financial to emotional, to help you navigate the system.

There are no easy, cookie-cutter solutions to help you decide which paths to take. The more you know, the more empowered you become; the more proactive you are, the less overwhelmed you feel. For my family, the time spent with my elderly great grandparents was worth more than any material possession. Good luck with your choices, and don’t forget to reach out for help!