Managing Elderly Care While Working Full-Time

Caring for elderly parents while working? Here’s how BlckBx can help

One of the hardest challenges we face in life is caring for our parents and elderly relatives. This is a highly emotional time that also comes with a long list of responsibilities.

Right now, in the UK, there are around 5.8 million unpaid carers, meaning people who are caring for a relative. That’s around 8% of the country.

Many of these people make the mistake of trying to do everything on their own, whether that means communicating with carers and nurses, arranging shopping deliveries, handling paperwork and booking appointments with doctors and specialists. But take a step back and you’ll see the list of tasks is simply too big for one person to manage alone.

This is especially true when you’re also working a full-time job. Caring for your elderly relatives can quickly consume all of your free time, leaving you no time to process the emotional weight. This can quickly lead to stress, burnout and even resentment.

That’s why it’s important to reach out and ask for help. At BlckBx, our personal assistants have helped busy families like yours manage their elderly care by helping with tasks, planning and scheduling. Here are some of the ways a personal assistant can help you too.

1: Organising care and support

Care is a broad and complex field that often requires the support of multiple specialists. From trained carers and nurses to medical experts and doctors, you will no doubt need to arrange lots of appointments with lots of different people.

This is where a personal assistant comes in handy. They can do your research, finding you the ideal candidates to support your relatives; they can book appointments and take care of the communication; and they can manage your schedule so you know when important dates are coming up.

2: Supporting your relatives at home

If your elderly relatives are living at home, there are many things they will require to live healthy, happy lives.

For instance, they may require modifications to their home such as stairlifts, ramps and alterations to their bathrooms. Your personal assistant can help you to research options and book tradespeople to install these features.

And, for their day-to-day lives, they may require supermarket deliveries, appointments with visiting carers, and services to help keep their homes clean and tidy – such as cleaners, gardeners and maintenance workers. Again, your personal assistant can help to arrange all of this on your relative’s behalf, freeing you from the burden of responsibility.

3. Helping them to live independently

Just because your relatives require care doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be able to live their lives.

Your personal assistant can help your relatives to make the most of their time. Whether that means tickets to the theatre, a day out at the golf course, or a trip to the beach, your personal assistant can arrange everything on their behalf. That includes booking travel, tickets and accommodation, and even coming up with an itinerary.

4: Supporting you (the family)

It’s not just your elderly relatives who need support. It’s also important to think about yourself, and your family’s needs.

A personal assistant can help you to make the most of your family life away from your caring responsibilities. Whether that means helping you to pursue your passions and interests, helping you with childcare, or even just thinking about the weekly meal prep, they’re there to help reduce the mental load on your family. This is important to ensure you take time away from your emotional stress to spend valuable time with your family.

The benefits of having a personal assistant

With a personal assistant, you’ll find the job of caring for an elderly relative much easier. Your personal assistant can help to soak up the stress of your life, leaving you free to focus on the things that matter. This can benefit your life in several ways:

Less emotional burden

Caring can take a heavy emotional toll, which can feel worse when coupled with a never-ending to-do list. With time and space to reflect, you’ll find it easier to manage the emotional burden.

Stay focused on what matters

Whether it’s your work, your hobbies or your families, having a personal assistant helps you to free up time for the things that matter – and stops your caring commitments creeping into other parts of your life.

More precious memories

When you’re not focused on the next item on your to-do list, you can bring your whole self to your role in the family. This can help you to make the most of the time you have together.

BlckBx was made for carers like you

If you’re caring for an elderly relative, BlckBx can help. Our dedicated, professional personal assistants are on-hand to take care of your tasks, helping you to free up time to focus on what matters.

BlckBx is the ideal partner for busy professionals who juggle a number of responsibilities in their personal life. If you’re struggling to find a balance among your many commitments, BlckBx is here to help.