15% of Employees Miss Work for this Reason
He careened around the grocery store aisles driving the scooter they provided. I followed, picking up fallen cans and apologizing to shoppers who jumped out of his way. My 80-year-old father was a home chef who was thrilled to put the dinner of his choice in his basket: ribs, asparagus and potatoes.
Sadly, those same ribs, asparagus and potatoes were molding in his fridge two weeks later.
Why didn’t he cook them? This really struck me because he loved to cook. Looking back, there were many reasons that all came down to . . . he just needed more help. I think too, he was pretending that he was more capable than he truly was. We didn’t know that in the next year he would develop dementia and live in my home, a hospital ICU, a nursing home, an assisted living memory care unit and a senior group home.
45% of employees are caregivers, but don’t label themselves as such. Employers underestimate how many of their employees are caregivers, guessing that only 29% are engaged in these activities.
Casual caregiving activities like household tasks or tech help creep into an employee’s life slowly. Many times a dramatic event, like a fall or major surgery, starts a decline that demands an employee’s attention.
But many times warning signs flash way before a medical event occurs. Seemingly trivial events like expired food, unpaid bills and personality differences indicate a need for increasing attention. Quick access to answers means employees can prepare instead of caught off guard.
5 danger areas that indicate an employee’s parent needs more help
This checklist, Warning Signs of Senior Decline, raises awareness so that employees are not surprised. Download this checklist to share with your employees or HR team.
Your compassionate anticipation of these events makes employees feel understood. Providing tools, like this checklist, to equip and prepare them increases an employee’s ability to stay engaged at work.
Debbie McDonald is the founder of Ways & Wane, which simplifies eldercare decisions for busy professionals. She lives in Northern California with her husband.
