Caregiver? Don't hesitate to ask for help

Caring for your sick neighbour, your partner who is depressed, your mother with dementia or an adolescent with mental health problems. These are all situations in which you are an informal carer. Fontys also employs many people who, in addition to their job, are caregivers. Often they can combine work and care just fine, but sometimes the burden is so long-lasting or heavy that overload is imminent. To prevent this and to ensure that informal caregivers can continue to enjoy their work, more awareness is urgently needed. Among employees themselves, but certainly also among their supervisors and colleagues.

Therefore, soon, on June 22, there will be a livestream on this subject at Fontys (in Dutch). It will be hosted by Fello, an organization for the support of working family caregivers.

Nicole Vissers, working in the Personnel and Organization department at Fontys, and Fello coach Katja Keuning of Fello believe that every organization should be concerned with questions such as: What do informal caregivers run into? What are their pitfalls? But above all: what can help them?

Involved employees
Nicole kicks off: 'Caretakers are often very loyal, nice employees. They spend so much time helping others for a reason. Thats why you want to retain them for your organization. But we can still take some steps in that regard. Katja agrees: As an informal caregiver, you can get completely bogged down by the practical issues like arranging care, but you also become emotionally burdened.'

It all starts with the informal caregiver themselves, who must recognize that what they are doing is a form of informal care. 'It often feels like: this care is just part of it. It doesnt occur to people that help is available and that they can admit that they sometimes have a hard time. It can also be quite difficult to hand over care', Katja knows.

How are things at home?
But a supervisor can also do something. Sometimes it helps if they ask, for example: How are things at home? Do you need help? 'Often enough, there are signs that someone is overloaded. But you have to have the courage to ask that question', Nicole believes.

That becomes easier if you know that as a manager you also have something to offer. Such as short-term care leave. This is particularly intended for necessary care or nursing in case of illness, for example if someone has had surgery and needs temporary care at home.

Are you a long-term caregiver (eight hours a week for three months), for example, for a parent with dementia? Then long-term care leave can help. Although that is not an option for everyone, as you lose salary for doing so. That is why it is good to know that there are more solutions to keep the combination of work and care in a pleasant way.

From worries to specific actions
For example, a coach like Katja can help to find the balance between informal care and other activities (such as family, work or leisure) and to go from worrying to a concrete plan of action. 'Together with the caregiver, a coach identifies the problems someone is facing. Is it mainly practical arrangements? Or rather psychological problems because you are overburdened?'

'In both cases we can offer help. If necessary, we call ten home care organizations to arrange help. And just the feeling that there is someone next to you who knows your situation and helps if needed, can be quite a relief. The recognition that you are having a hard time and that it is not strange to ask for help already helps.'

No shame
Still, Nicole notices that within Fontys there are only few family caregivers who ask for help. Long-term care leave, for example, is not often taken. According to national figures, one in four employees is a caregiver. Of course not all of them are overloaded, but you are still talking about a large group that could use some support.

Katja: 'Therefore my tip: dont hesitate and ask for help. And if you see a colleague struggling: point out to him or her that they dont have to carry their problems on their own. There is more help available than you might think. Dont let shame get the better of you. Go to your supervisor and talk about it.'

Nicole concludes: 'Often more is possible than you think, perhaps you can use your DI hours to restore your work-