As your parents age, it is only natural that they may need your help from time to time. At first, you might help out a few times a week, running errands, making sure your parents take their medication and helping around the house. You probably feel obligated to assist your parents; after all, they once took care of you.
Problems begin, however, when your parents suddenly take ill or experience a drastic decline in their health and mobility. If you are alone in providing your parents with the care they need, it may become difficult to juggle work and caring. This is especially true if you are one of the "sandwich generation", the 1.5 million Australians caring for their children and parents.
However, before you quit your job, think about the possible ramifications.
Quitting Your Job May Seem Necessary
You have probably thought long and hard about the benefits of quitting your job. Your primary concern is your parents' well-being. After all, who else knows your parents as well as you do? You may also consider caring for your parents on a full-time basis as your duty.
By caring for your parents yourself, you can provide them with the standard of care they need while saving money on hiring a personal care assistant. However, while these points are valid, quitting your job might leave you and your parents worse off in the end.
Your Health Will Suffer
In Australia, most primary carers are family members, and 55 percent of those carers provide at least 20 hours of care per week. This leaves them with very little time for work or, more importantly, little time to take care of their own health and personal needs. Unfortunately, this leads to physical and mental exhaustion, often forcing them to quit their jobs.
However, without a job, you lose your health insurance package, which may then be too expensive to replace. At first, this might not be problematic but over time, as you take on the many responsibilities of being a carer, such as hospital trips and help with housework, your own health could suffer.
Without health insurance or a job, taking care of your own failing health will become ever more difficult.
You May Struggle to Find Work in Future
Carers that attempt to return to work after years of caring for their parents often struggle to find a job. Not only will the job market have changed, but the empty space on their resume may also put potential employers off.
If you can't find a job after years of caring for your parents, you could be forced to take drastic measures, such as selling your home, in order to pay off any debts you might have. Again, this will have a negative impact on your health, leading to more expenses.
Your Money Could Run Out
What happens if your savings and those of your parents run out? Caring can be expensive, and what looks like a large amount of money now could run out in a few years. Without a job, both you and your parents will suffer unless you can enlist the help of a family member or friend.
However, there is a better approach to caring for your parents.
Hire a Personal Care Assistant
A personal care assistant need not be very expensive. You can tailor their treatment schedule to suit yours and your parents' needs. They can provide care for several hours a day, every day or full-time overnight care. This will allow you to work and generate a steady income while ensuring that you are in good health.
If you are considering quitting your job to care for your parents, think carefully about what that might mean in the future. A personal care assistant could well be a more beneficial choice.
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