Caregiving Should I Quit My Job to Care for My Loved One? By Deb Seng, PCOA Family Caregiver Support Specialist In the United States, one third of households provide daily care to an and attention your loved one once provided to you • Satisfaction in knowing that you have contributed to your loved one’s quality of life caregiver, however, you may find that you have less time or energy to dedicate to these connections—and have few shared
experiences to discuss. At the same time, becoming a caregiver provides opportunity to forge new relationships and to engineer a support team both for yourself and your loved one. In fact, creating a caregiving team is an important strategy for caregiving success. Strong caregiving teams include people who are committed to both you, as the caregiver, and your loved one and may include the following: • Family members • Friends and neighbors • Physicians, pharmacists, and health care workers • Associates from civic organizations • Volunteers from social service agencies • Faith community connections • Professionals from senior serving agencies Pima Council on Aging is your professional partner in planning care for your senior loved one. In fact, we offer support groups, classes, and workshops (described on the following pages) to assist you in making decisions and connecting to resources. If you would like more personalized direction, you can also call the PCOA Helpline at (520) 790-7262 to request a one-on-one appointment with a Family Caregiver Support Specialist. While we cannot tell you if you should quit your job to care for your loved one, we can provide you with important information and considerations to make the best decision—for you and your loved one!
older adult. And of these caregivers, more than half also work full-time outside the home. Managing caregiving duties with work responsibilities can leave caregivers exhausted, frustrated, and stressed—often causing them to wonder, “Should I quit my job to care for my loved one?” Caring for a loved one can be both worthwhile and challenging. And the decision to move from full-time employment to full-time caregiving involves several considerations. Often, caregivers decide from the heart— demonstrating love for and loyalty to the older adult. The best decisions, however, include an honest look at both the costs and benefits of caregiving on emotional, financial, and social levels. For those considering making the move to full-time caregiving, it might be helpful to think about your current emotional state like a bank account. Identify the deposit sources and balance them with your emotional withdrawals. Are you running a positive balance or accumulating emotional debt? Do you have a history with your loved one that pads your emotional account or leaves your heart bankrupt? If your emotional account is consistently “in the black,” you may be more likely to reap the emotional benefits of providing care to your loved one. Caregiving benefits can include: • Finding meaning in returning the care
• Creating meaningful memories to cherish long after your loved one has passed Similarly, family members who contemplate a move from employment to caregiving are wise to thoroughly evaluate the financial impact of the decision. You might simply weigh the loss of wages with the cost of professional caregivers—and it may seem that staying home with the older adult is your most economical option. However, a closer examination may reveal that you stand to gain more by continuing in the workforce and hiring professionals at your loved one’s needed care level. The benefits of continuing to work outside the home may include: • Contributing toward your maximum Social Security, pension, and retirement benefits in the future • Maintaining employer-sponsored health insurance benefits including medical, dental, vision, and disability coverages • Retaining access to employer benefits including caregiver support, legal direction, and employee-assistance programs Finally, leaving the workforce to become a full-time caregiver can result in a significant shift in social connections and supports. At work, you may have a built-in social network who shares in water cooler conversation, coffee runs, and the occasional after work event. As a
October 2019, Never Too Late | Page 5
Pima Council on Aging
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