Your older family members in the household need extra care. You would find yourself lending a significant amount of your time to look after them. What if the situation requires you to work from home? How are you going to juggle your time between your job and your elderly family members’ needs?
Think again if you think you can be hands-on with tending to your elderly family members while working from home. Your focus will absolutely be divided. With companies adapting to this new setup, it looks like remote working is not going anywhere.
But how are you going to get ready for this change? How can you manage your work while attending to your elderly family members’ needs? Check out some tips below that you can apply.
Talk to them about the setup
Your elderly family members need to know that you are at home most of the time, but you won’t always be able to look after them. This is when you have to explain that they have to be a little responsible for themselves. Make your older family members understand that you’re taking on a job that requires you to focus. However, assure them that you’re always available in emergency cases even though you are working. Thus, they can call your attention when they need help.
Inform them of your schedule
Apart from discussing this new setup, you have to let them know about your schedule. You can tell your older family members the exact time when you’re available for them. Let them know of the time you need to focus on work. This way, they’ll feel more secure that you can still pay attention to them. This can also give them autonomy while you are working.
Get someone to help you
There will be times when taking care of your elderly loved ones will be very tedious for you. You know you won’t be able to keep up on tending to your older family members when your workload is too much. In this case, ask a trusted relative who’s willing to care for your elderly family members. You can also hire a home care assistant who can come over to your house and look after your elderly loved ones. In this way, you won’t have to worry much about how your elderly family members are doing while you’re working from home. Sometimes, your work schedule can be really hectic. Hence, you need a helping hand to take care of your aging loved ones.
Give them a few tasks
For self-reliant seniors, you can create a plan for their everyday routine. Give them small responsibilities. You can include little tasks that they can accomplish while you’re busy working. Get them distracted with easy chores they love doing the most. You can also ask them about some skills they have never tried but wanted to. This may be the time to learn them finally. In fact, a study reveals that learning new skills is encouraged for aging people to keep their minds sharp. Give them a schedule for making their own tea or crocheting. They may want to get into growing seedlings or painting, too. These things will help them to learn while exercising their focus continuously.
Prepare their medicines, food, etc.
The last thing you’d want to happen is your elderly family members forgetting to take their prescription medicines. You can resolve this by giving them constant reminders of the routine. It could be in the form of alarms or notes you stick on the refrigerator door. Their medications are important, so remind them. The same goes for their food. If they are on a strict diet, you may want to prepare their meals ahead of time. Make a meal prep plan for them just like what diet-conscious people do. Do this by stocking your refrigerator with pre-made meals that your elderly family members can reheat. In addition, you can find recipes online or try food delivery services that offer customized meals. This can also save you time from doing the cooking every day. Meanwhile, when it’s time to sleep, make sure that their bed is already made. Also, prepare clean clothes for them to avoid difficulties when they need to change. These are just some things you can prepare to save you time while working at home and avoid unnecessary hassles.
Multitasking can be laborious. However, some circumstances require us to do it. Taking care of your elderly loved ones while working from home can be one of them. It may sound a little strenuous, but you’ll definitely get used to it if you know how to do it appropriately.
