Family Caregivers and Employer Compassion

Introduction

Three simple steps can make all the difference for caregivers in the workplace.

Main Digest

A caregiver or carer is defined as an unpaid, or paid, person who helps another individual with an impairment with his or her activities of daily living. Any person with a health impairment might use caregiving services to address their difficulties. Caregiving is most commonly used to address impairments related to old age, disability, diseases, or mental disorder.

The unexpected and unrelenting challenges of caregiving affects not only caregivers, but their employers and their co-workers. With nearly half of America's 65 million family caregivers participating in the workforce, the workplace is feeling the pinch of this growing pressure on their employees who also find themselves in the role of family caregiver.

Emotional Fatigue

The emotional fatigue of caregiving alone can compromise a worker's productivity, but throw in last minute schedule changes, continual phone calls, tardiness, and absenteeism - and more employers are finding themselves in the difficult place of wanting to express compassion while simultaneously maintaining a productive workplace.

Caregivers with Hope founder Peter Rosenberger says that caregiving employees can strengthen their professional standing in the workplace by taking 3 simple steps.

"I've found that if an employee is forthright with their supervisor about their circumstances, asks for flexibility without an attitude of entitlement, and consistently provides a fair day's work, their employer is more likely to be understanding and work with them," states Rosenberger.

"It is also important for the employer to still keep boundaries for these workers. They are not helping the caregiving employee by enabling poor workplace habits and performance."

To address these and other concerns faced by the caregiver, Rosenberger founded Caregivers with Hope to offer clear, proven strategies to guide them towards a healthier lifestyle in every facet of their life.

The Caregivers Caregiver

Peter is 'the Caregivers Caregiver' bringing diverse talent and outrageous humor and candor to encourage others.

"The goal is not just making family caregivers feel better, but offering them the tools and empowerment to be better," says Rosenberger.

Through an unparalleled journey with his wife Gracie, Peter has navigated through a medical nightmare for the past three decades that has included 78 operations and the amputation of both of Gracie's legs. In the process, he has learned that a caregiver cannot only survive, but thrive in the midst of oftentimes grim circumstances.

A most ardent champion for the cause of family caregivers for years as a speaker, author and radio host of his own weekly show on News Radio WLAC 1510 in Nashville (also on iHeart Radio), he is also an accomplished pianist and black belt in Hapkido.

Peter's lengthy media credits include USA Today, Today, The Today Show, Fox news, Guideposts, AARP, BBC World News, among others, and he offers practical help in his latest book, Hope for the Caregiver - Encouraging Words to Strengthen Your Spirit (Worthy Inspired, September 2014).

Attribution/Source(s):

This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World due to its significant relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Caregivers with Hope, and published on 2016/02/23 (Edit Update: 2019/06/03), the content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity. For further details or clarifications, Caregivers with Hope can be contacted at hopeforthecaregiver.com. NOTE: Disabled World does not provide any warranties or endorsements related to this article.

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Cite This Page (APA): Caregivers with Hope. (2016, February 23 - Last revised: 2019, June 3). Family Caregivers and Employer Compassion. Disabled World. Retrieved September 8, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/disability/caregivers/productivity.php

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