Should You Quit Your Job To Care for Your Elderly Parent?
As parents age and need more assistance, most adult children do what they can to help. For many, the first step is a weekly stop by Mom and Dad’s home to assess the situation and perhaps help with some chores and errands. Often, these check-ins increase in frequency until they become a routine part of each day.
Family caregivers typically look into community services and in-home care for assistance. They research adult day care centers and assisted living communities. However, most seniors are adamant about wanting to remain in their own homes and receive assistance from their own children. They don’t want “strangers” in the house or driving them around town.
Sick days and paid time off begin to dwindle. Performance suffers and unpaid leave becomes the only option for taking time away from work to handle emergencies and doctor’s appointments. Eventually, like so many other family caregivers, you consider quitting your job, putting your career on hold. While it won’t be easy, it’ll just be a temporary solution, ideally with minimal impact. Right?
The Benefits of Leaving Work to Care for a Family Member: You already know what may be gained by giving up your job and becoming the primary full-time caregiver for your parents. You would benefit from knowing firsthand how they are faring day and night. You could potentially save them from paying for in-home…
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There was an early retirement program at work and I was able to retire in 2015 to take care of my mother so she could continue to stay in her home. It was difficult at times but I had friends who had taken care of elderly parents as well. They said once she passes you will not regret any time you spent taking care of her and that turned out to be so true. I kept her out of a nursing home until a couple of months before she died at 97 in 2019. It was one of the best decisions I ever made to take care of my mom.
Good for you, Dean! This is true for so many of us. As you said, caregiving is hard at times (sometimes often), but it’s also incredibly rewarding.