Caregiving and the Caregiving “Shortage” with Aaron Blight

Dr. Aaron Blight, author of “When Caregiving Calls: Guidance As You Care for a Parent, Spouse or Aging Relative”

Listen to the HomeCare Hub podcast episode now:

You are not alone.

Caregivers experience burden when they are involved with care activities that are inconsistent with their familial identity.  This was a conclusion reached by researchers Montgomery and Kosloski and included in the foundational principles of the book authored by Dr. Blight “When Caregiving Calls”.

You are also not alone.  Family caregiving and caregiving is becoming the norm.  The stress and burden of caring is there and it’s real.  Is feeling guilty ok?  Is feeling like you want a way out and want to return to “normal” ok?  With high-value individuals faced with the burden of caring, these are questions that ruminate.  How should individuals cope?

If you think you are alone, there is hope.  You are not alone. Dr. Blight brings his ideas and research to light and will help you create thoughtful conversation and ideas to your season of caregiving.

The home care industry knows the power of caregiving.  Caregiving in home care is done on, generally speaking, a one on one basis.  Many caregivers that come to the home care industry have valuable prior family caregiving experience.  They have felt alone before but now they employ their caregiving skills in a socially supported team environment.  Doing one on one care in this environment is empowering as the caregiver now has a sense of working for the family, the client AND the office they serve out of.  This is the reason why so many caregivers choose to work extra shifts and hours each week, they have come to understand caregiving, they operate successfully as a caregiver and they are empowered by providing one on one care.

Challenges exist operationally when trying to recruit caregivers if you are a senior living community operating in the home care space but they can be overcome.  Speed to hire is critical and better supports around the recruiting of these amazing individuals need to be in place.  You can learn more about this by engaging with the HomeCare Advocacy Network by reaching out to them to discuss home care franchising.  Beginning your own white-label home care business inside of senior living is a key to your future.  If you’re an entrepreneur, territories are also available nationwide.  Email Partner@hcanthrive.com to learn more, or read here for more franchising information.