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| Regardless of whether you are looking for information for yourself, a family member or an employee, WorkLife Essentials® will provide you with information and support on a variety of issues including managing stress, balancing work and personal life, child care, elder care, parenting issues and many more. |
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Elder Care
If you suspect your older relative has dementia, there are a number of practical things you can do to make life less challenging. In the article Helping an Older Adult Who Has Dementia useful tips on how to address the medical, behavioural and emotional aspects of the disease are shared.
Do you find yourself questioning why the responsibility of caring for your Mother or Father usually falls on you? Perhaps you live nearby or could it be you are always the person family members rely on to be the `carer'? Whatever the reason, this month we provide ideas on ways to involve other family members in sharing caregiving responsibilities.
The thought of selecting a nursing home for an aging relative can conjure up all kinds of dread. This month to help you determine what to look for in WorkLife Essentials we provide a checklist on how to screen a nursing home or hostel so you feel empowered to make a good choice.
Are your parents fiercely independent? Sometimes older adults find it hard to admit that they need help, even when their health or safety is at risk. This month learn non threatening ways to sensitively broach the subject by reading When an Older Relative Is Reluctant to Accept Help.
Perhaps you have an older relative who suffers with insomnia. According to research, insomnia affects 20-40% of all adults at some stage of their life. In the article Sleep and ageing - issues and solutions a plethora of ideas are presented for you to share with your older relative on how to go to sleep and get enough sleep to keep them (or you) in top condition.
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Smart Phones or Dumb Consumers
Technology is a wonderful enabler but is the latest and greatest Smart Phone the panacea for work life balance? Well according to a report in the Australian Sydney Morning Herald on February 23rd, this is exactly what mobile phone manufacturers would like us to believe. Apparently the race to develop the smartest mobile phone is on. Since the enormous popularity of the Apple iPhone various high tech operating system and mobile phone manufacturers are joining force to swiftly capture the market plus heart and mind of consumers. At the recent Mobile World Conference in Barcelona we learnt innovations for the Smart Phone are in fact being spear headed by our desire for social networking instead of workforce productivity. Are we surprised? The machine metaphor for organisational life has never replaced our need for human connection and obviously sitting in front of our static computer to communicate and comb social networking sites is not sufficient. Apparently we need a gadget that allows us to network with the world while working on the move 24/7. Stop. Think about it, is a new gadget the enabler for work life balance or a metaphor for overload? In 2006, Dr. Barbara Mc Farland in her book The Balanced Life wrote about the negative aspects of being controlled by the 'whirring buzz of doings and comings and goings' including technology and the like. Some people she says become addicted to hype and busyness and find it almost impossible to draw the line. She also explains that men and women manage their busyness differently. For example, women tend to multi task to extreme and men tend to focus to extreme. However, both extremes she explains can be detrimental to life, work balance and relationships. Here are a few suggestions from Dr. Mc Farland to get things back in balance:
So before you buy your next Smart Phone choose to be a smart and balanced consumer and control technology, your work, life and wellbeing before technology controls you. * The Balanced Lifestyle, Dr. Barbara McFarland, 2006. Author House, Library of Congress Control number 2005907247. |
Adult Sibling Rivalry and Elder Care
According to the World Health Organization* from 2000 until 2050, the world's population aged 60 and over will more than triple from 600 million to 2 billion. Most of this increase is occurring in developing countries - where the number of older people will rise from 400 million in 2000 to 1.7 billion by 2050. However, the impact of the demographic change on both developed and developing countries is huge with challenges on both the social and economic front. This phenomenon has never happened before in the history of humanity and within 10 years will be felt worldwide with more people over 65 years than pre-schoolers. This month in work life essentials we focus on the issue of adult sibling rivalry and the costly impact when one sibling is left to care for their aging parents. This not only creates an enormous burden socially, financially and emotionally for the carer but can lead to resentment and family discord at a time when support is desperately needed. It is not surprising to learn that carers who solicit help from relatives tend to have lower stress levels than those who don't. For carers with elder care responsibilities, here are a few tips on how to get help from your family. Get everyone together to discuss the situation. It's often helpful to get family members together, in person or on the phone, to try to come up with a plan as a group. Together you may come up with ideas that wouldn't have occurred to you separately. Be specific. Talk about specific tasks and how people might help. If you need a lot of help, you might make up a list of all the things that need to be done and ask people to sign up for tasks they're able to take on -- if not regularly, at least occasionally. Show your appreciation. Send a note or call to say, "Thanks for taking Mum to lunch. It was great to have a break." When family members feel appreciated, they'll want to help out again. Remember that teenagers in the family can help, too. They can't assume full-time responsibilities, but they might be able to help with errands and chores. Make your needs clear when family members refuse to cooperate. Write a letter about your concerns and send it to everyone involved. Or call a family meeting. This will make everyone aware of your feelings and give people a chance to respond. It is also important to communicate with your employer and gain support should an unexpected event occur. The aging population affects all of us. It is important to contribute where we can.
* The World Health Organization |
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