Caregiver Crossing
Ask an expert…
Dear Tina,
Mary,
I am a Baby Boomer and I will be
returning to work after retiring to
become a full-time caregiver to my
husband a few years ago. I am
terrified to reenter the workforce –
One - simply because of my age. I
feel that I won’t be taken as seriously as the fresh-faced young people
that are right out of college and
ready to take on the world. Two, I’m
concerned about my lack of technology experience. With Facebook and
Twitter being all the rage nowadays, I feel that I will be out of the
loop with the rest of the office. And
on a much different note, I don’t
want to put my husband in a nursing home. We made a promise to
each other early on in our marriage
that we would keep the other in our
home if and when the time came.
I guess that I am writing because
I am looking for reassurance and
asking for help with taking the next
step as a caregiver.
Mary, thank you for sharing and
for reaching out. I say this often
because it is true - you are not
alone. You are not alone in your
concern about returning to work,
and you are certainly not alone
in struggling with the decision of
placing your husband’s care in the
hands of others.
Thank you for being here.
- Mary
A recent USA Today article shares
that about 65% of Boomers plan to
work after the age of 65. You are in
good company. The employees who
are fresh out of college may be able
to type faster or browse the internet
with more poise, but let’s talk for a
moment about your advantages.
In today’s world of Facebook and
Instagram, employers are concerned that the value of their
younger employees is being wasted
by constant status updates and selfies taken from the cubicle. Whether
that is true or not, you bring wisdom, life experience and dedication
to your employer which may just be
a breath of fresh air. But now let’s
talk about your husband. I applaud
anyone who chooses to care for her
loved one at home and understand
that are many things to consider
when making decisions about that
care.
You have a handful of options, with
adult day services certainly as a
great alternative. There are many
wonderful centers throughout the
city and some offer transportation,
nursing staff and outings if your
husband is able and interested.
In-home care is another option that
you could look into. There is both
medical and non-medical in-home
care. There are even traveling
physician companies that will come
to your home for your husband’s
health checkups.
Again, you are not alone. We’re
right here and I want you to call me
at (317) 254-0828 if there is anything at all that Joy’s House can do
to support you during this time.
Warmly,
Tina
[email protected]
Tina McIntosh is the founder and president
of Joy’s House, an adult day service located
in Broad Ripple.
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