Laura from Writing Thoughts blogged about how she became a work at home mom and how this transition enabled her to care for her father when he developed Alzheimer’s a year later. Working from home can be a wonderful option for caregivers and the person they are caring for.
A few examples:
* If you’ve had a rough night, you can often push your work schedule back or even take the day off altogether and decide to work on the weekend instead.
* You can take your loved one to doctor’s visits without running through your sick leave. (Although the downside of working from home is that you don’t have sick leave to run through!)
* You don’t have to put in an eight hour day dealing with stressful work politics, only to come home and put in a sixteen hour night of dealing with Alzheimer’s related problems.
There are also some negatives to working from home:
* You don’t get to get out and recharge your emotional batteries by working in another location.
* If you have a high paying job, you may be sacrificing a great salary and decent benefits for the chance to work from home at a lower salary with mediocre health insurance you had to buy yourself.
Do you have a story to share about working from home while caring for an Alzheimer’s patient? I’d love to hear it.
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Thanks for the mention.
Yes, this is so true. I lived through every example you gave. Even though my Dad passed on in January, I still love to this site because you “get it.” I really think that it sometimes takes someone who has gone through it to really understand. I am passing your link on to the Family Council at the Nursing facility where my Dad ended up.
Comment by Laura - March 27, 2007 9:53 am
This is a very informative post. As Laura says, you “get it.” I, too, cared for my mom with Alzheimer’s…in her home, in my home, and finally in a nursing home. Although she’s been gone for several years, I still write and speak about Alzheimer’s to encourage others. Although I generally didn’t have “hands on” care of my aunt (Mother’s sister), I became responsible for caregiving decisions when she lived with Mother and was in a nursing home. I was glad my work enabled me to have a flexible schedule that allowed me to be with them much of the time.
Comment by Mary Emma Allen - April 10, 2007 3:29 pm
[...] Katelyn at Life Without Memories gives us advantages (and disadvantages) for working at home when you have an Alzheimer’s family member. She also refers to Laura at Writing Thoughts who tells about working at home and caring for her father with Alzheimer’s, as well as her family. [...]
Pingback by homebiznotes.com - Working at Home Helpful for Caregivers - April 12, 2007 2:59 pm
[...] Katelyn at Life Without Memories gives us advantages (and disadvantages) for working at home when you have an Alzheimer’s family member. She also refers to Laura at Writing Thoughts who tells about working at home and caring for her father with Alzheimer’s, as well as her family. [...]
Pingback by Alzheimer’s Notes » Working at Home Often Beneficial for Alzheimer’s Caregivers - April 13, 2007 12:30 am