It is estimated that in Spain 11% of households have at least one elderly person in charge. In addition, the National Institute of Statistics (INE) projects that the population of people over 65 will increase by more than 33% by 2033, reaching the figure of 12.43 million.
The responsibilities of caring for an older person have a profound impact not only on the personal lives of caregivers, but also on their career paths. More and more companies are committed to supporting their employees who have elderly people in charge, recognizing the difficulties they face and seeking appropriate and effective solutions.
Elderly care is a complex and constantly evolving challenge. Below, we highlight the main challenges faced by employees with elderly dependents:
- sudden changes: The need to care for an elderly person can arise unexpectedly, for example, when discovering unpaid bills or after a fall or sudden illness in the family.
- Unpredictability: The symptoms and needs of older people can constantly change, making planning and organizing care difficult.
- Coordination with multiple parties: caring for an older person often involves different family members, doctors, caregivers, lawyers and financial advisors, which can make coordinating all these actors a job in itself.
- Information overload: Managing someone else's administrative, financial and medical tasks can be overwhelming and stressful, especially when trying to balance these responsibilities with your own.
- Impact at work: The responsibilities of caring for an elderly person can affect employees' concentration, energy and work performance, which can lead to conflicts or difficulties at work.
- Difficulties talking about the subject: many employees are not comfortable sharing their responsibilities with their bosses or co-workers, which can make the problem even more difficult to address and fix.
Since caring for the elderly is a growing challenge in Spain, it is crucial that companies, employees and society in general work together to find comprehensive solutions and support those who have elderly people.
If your company wants to commit to caring for the family and, especially, caring for the elderly, here are some actions that you can implement:
- Labor and family reconciliation policies: establish flexible policies regarding work hours and permits that allow employees to combine their family and work responsibilities effectively.
- Foster communication and understanding: encourage employees to be open about their caregiving responsibilities and to ask for support if needed.
- Professional support: offer professional support through a network of professionals specialized in various areas of care for the elderly. These professionals can include everything from financial advisers, therapists, geriatric specialists and other related professionals.
- Trusted Caregivers: provide the tools to help find trusted caregivers either for hours or long duration.
- Subsidized care: helping to cover part of the costs of care when a conciliation emergency occurs that interferes with working hours.
By implementing these initiatives, companies can demonstrate their commitment to caring for the family and, in particular, to caring for the elderly. In addition, by doing so, they will be contributing to creating a more inclusive, understanding and healthy work environment for all their employees.