Seeking a balance between employment and the care of an ageing parent

Eldh, Ann Catrine; Carlsson, Eva

doi:10.1111/j.1471-6712.2010.00824.x

Cited by 38 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…These caregivers definitely need our attention, because continuing paid work can be highly relevant, not only because of financial security. Paid work offers a temporary relief from caregiving (Arksey, ; Arksey & Morée, ), compensates for the loss of social contacts and resources (Maria Krisor & Rowold, ; Reid et al., ), increases the opportunities for personal growth and enrichment (Eldh & Carlsson, ; Maria Krisor & Rowold, ), and offers recognition and appreciation which might be absent in the care situation (Isarin, ). Reducing paid work is one option to manage the combination of informal care and paid work.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Around a quarter of the working caregivers experience difficulties to combine work and care (de Boer, Broese van Groenou, & Keuzenkamp, ), resulting in high caregiver burden (Gordon, Pruchno, Wilson‐Genderson, Murphy, & Rose, ; Reid, Stajduhar, & Chappell, ; Wang, Shyu, Chen, & Yang, ), poor well‐being (Eldh & Carlsson, ; Reid et al., ; Stephens, Townsend, Martire, & Druley, ), increased work‐related strain (Trukeschitz, Schneider, Muhlmann, & Ponocny, ), or long‐term sickness absence (Mortensen et al., ). To facilitate caregivers to combine their care and work, specific work arrangements exist, such as taking time off, using formal care leave arrangements (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The application of work arrangements may have positive and negative consequences for the caregiver with regard to their work career and health status, and also for their care recipient's health status and for society. Several studies showed that work arrangements are positively related to caregiver well‐being and the balance between work and care (Arksey, ; Eldh & Carlsson, ; Maria Krisor & Rowold, ). For example, the option of paid care leave is positively related to the mental health status among working caregivers of an older relative with special healthcare needs (Earle & Heymann, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Combining informal care and paid work: The use of work arrangements by working adult-child caregivers in the Netherlands

Oldenkamp

Bültmann

Wittek

et al. 2017

Health Soc Care Community

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An increasing number of people combine paid work with the provision of informal care for a loved one. This combination of work and care may cause difficulties, necessitating adaptations at work, i.e. work arrangements. The present study explores what types of work arrangements are used by working caregivers, and which caregiver, care and work characteristics are associated with the use of these work arrangements.Within the Lifelines Informal Care Add-on Study (Lifelines ICAS), data on 965 Dutch informal caregivers in the North of the Netherlands were collected between May 2013 and July 2014 (response rate 48%), and data on 333 working adult-child caregivers (aged 26-68 years, 82% female) were used in this study. A small majority (56%) of the working caregivers used one or more work arrangement(s): taking time off (41%), individual agreements with supervisor (30%), formal care leave arrangement (13%), and reduction in paid work hours (6%). Logistic regression analyses showed that long working hours (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.01-1.08), and the experience of more health problems (OR 2.54, 95% CI 1.56-4.05) or a disrupted schedule due to caregiving (OR 2.50, 95% CI 1.66-3.78) increased the chance to have used one or more work arrangements. Lower educated working caregivers were less likely to have used a formal care leave arrangement (tertiary vs. primary education OR 2.75, 95% CI 1.13-6.67; tertiary vs. secondary education OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.27-5.09). Policy makers should inform working caregivers about the availability of the different work arrangements, with specific attention for low educated working caregivers. Employers need to consider a more caregiver-friendly policy, as almost half of the working adult-child caregivers did not use any work arrangement. K E Y W O R D Semployment, informal caregivers, organisation of work, quantitative surveys, working caregivers

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Combining informal care and paid work: The use of work arrangements by working adult-child caregivers in the Netherlands

Oldenkamp

Bültmann

Wittek

et al. 2017

Health Soc Care Community

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“…The demands associated with this unpaid work come with both rewards [14][15][16][17][18], and heavy consequences [9,[19][20][21][22][23]. While FCs derive satisfaction from their work and strengthened bonds with care receivers, the negative consequences of caregiving are well-documented [24,25] and include truncated social networks [23], reduced or limited labour force participation [26], and poorer physical [27] and mental health [21,28,29]. With one-third of FCs in a recent study spending an average of 20 h a week caregiving [30], it is perhaps unsurprising that social engagement and paid labour force participation suffer as the risk of physical and mental health problems increases [30,31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The care capacity goals of family carers and the role of technology in achieving them

et al. 2020

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Background: As global populations age, governments have come to rely heavily on family carers (FCs) to care for older adults and reduce the demands made of formal health and social care systems. Under increasing pressure, sustainability of FC's unpaid care work has become a pressing issue. Using qualitative data, this paper explores FCs' care-related work goals, and describes how those goals do, or do not, link to technology. Methods: We employed a sequential mixed-method approach using focus groups followed by an online survey about FCs' goals. We held 10 focus groups and recruited 25 FCs through a mix of convenience and snowball sampling strategies. Carer organizations helped us recruit 599 FCs from across Canada to complete an online survey. Participants' responses to an open-ended question in the survey were included in our qualitative analysis. An inductive approach was employed using qualitative thematic content analysis methods to examine and interpret the resulting data. We used NVIVO 12 software for data analysis. Results: We identified two care quality improvement goals of FCs providing care to older adults: enhancing and safeguarding their caregiving capacity. To enhance their capacity to care, FCs sought: 1) foreknowledge about their care recipients' changing condition, and 2) improved navigation of existing support systems. To safeguard their own wellbeing, and so to preserve their capacity to care, FCs sought to develop coping strategies as well as opportunities for mentorship and socialization. Conclusions: We conclude that a paradigm shift is needed to reframe caregiving from a current deficit frame focused on failures and limitations (burden of care) towards a more empowering frame (sustainability and resiliency). The fact that FCs are seeking strategies to enhance and safeguard their capacities to provide care means they are approaching their unpaid care work from the perspective of resilience. Their goals and technology suggestions imply a shift from understanding care as a source of 'burden' towards a more 'resilient' and 'sustainable' model of caregiving. Our case study findings show that technology can assist in fostering this resiliency but that it may well be limited to the role of an intermediary that connects FCs to information, supports and peers.

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“…Combining work and care should not be problematised in general as many carers want to do both. Caring can give them a sense of purpose, an opportunity to reciprocate and to support their loved-one in their hour of need (Bourke, Pajo, & Lewis, 2010;Eldh & Carlsson, 2011;Hamblin & Hoff, 2012). Work, on the other hand, is not merely a source of income but offers them respite from caring, social support and an opportunity for fulfilment outside of caring (Bourke-Taylor, Howie, & Law, 2011;Bruns & Schrey, 2012;Calvano, 2013).…”

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confidence: 99%

Challenges of combining work and unpaid care, and solutions: A scoping review

Spann

Vicente

Allard

et al. 2020

Health Soc Care Community

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The number of people who combine work and unpaid care is increasing rapidly as more people need care, public and private care systems are progressively under pressure and more people are required to work for longer. Without adequate support, these working carers may experience detrimental effects on their well‐being. To adequately support working carers, it is important to first understand the challenges they face. A scoping review was carried out, using Arksey and O’Malley's framework, to map the challenges of combining work and care and solutions described in the literature to address these challenges. The search included academic and grey literature between 2008 and 2018 and was conducted in April 2018, using electronic academic databases and reference list checks. Ninety‐two publications were mapped, and the content analysed thematically. A conceptual framework was derived from the analysis which identified primary challenges (C1), directly resulting from combining work and care, primary solutions (S1) aiming to address these, secondary challenges (C2) resulting from solutions and secondary solutions (S2) aiming to address secondary challenges. Primary challenges were: (a) high and/or competing demands; (b) psychosocial/‐emotional stressors; (c) distance; (d) carer's health; (e) returning to work; and (f) financial pressure. This framework serves to help those aiming to support working carers to better understand the challenges they face and those developing solutions for the challenges of combining work and care to consider potential consequences or barriers. Gaps in the literature have been identified and discussed.

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Seeking a balance between employment and the care of an ageing parent

Cited by 38 publications

References 18 publications

Combining informal care and paid work: The use of work arrangements by working adult-child caregivers in the Netherlands

Combining informal care and paid work: The use of work arrangements by working adult-child caregivers in the Netherlands

The care capacity goals of family carers and the role of technology in achieving them

Challenges of combining work and unpaid care, and solutions: A scoping review

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