Care Included
Ageing and care are issues that affect us all, but are often still taboo in the world of work. The state of NRW has launched a special programme to raise awareness and support companies and employees.
More time for the family: this is often no longer an empty promise, but is now firmly anchored in the working conditions of many companies. The much-vaunted “compatibility of work and family” is a standard feature in job advertisements and has become an important criterion in the competition for skilled workers. In particular, it is associated with the idea that a job should leave enough time for children and a partner. Something that is often ignored in our modern, performance-oriented working world: being a carer can also affect the family and become a major challenge. For example, if your father, mother-in-law or another family member suddenly becomes bedridden and dependent due to old age, an accident or a serious illness.
In such cases, there are legal provisions designed to ease the burden on employees: for example, the Act on the Compatibility of Family, Care and Work stipulates that relatives can be absent from work for up to ten working days in order to provide care or organise care. In addition, they can take full or partial leave from work for up to six months to look after a relative in need of care at home. Partial leave can be granted for a period of 24 months. The Care Support and Relief Act (PUEG), which was passed in May 2023, also aims to improve financial benefits for people in need of care and their relatives. Benefits will be increased in several stages over the next few years.
Anyone who is suddenly faced with the task of caring for a family member has a lot to cope with emotionally: pain, grief, helplessness and despair sometimes go hand in hand. Dealing with the above-mentioned laws, benefits and bureaucracy can be gruelling. Family carers also have to deal with very practical issues such as personal hygiene, medical care or making their home accessible. How do you fit all this in with your own job? The German state of North Rhine-Westphalia wants to support companies and their employees with a programme called “Compatibility of Work and Care”. Employers who sign up to the charter receive specific information on how to make their company care-friendly. This includes the qualification of so-called care guides. They provide information on support and compatibility services within the company, as well as on legal regulations, and also mediate between employers and employees when it comes to finding individual solutions.
Anyone caring for a relative faces many practical questions and emotional challenges.
“In our ageing society, the topic of caring is still taboo, especially in a professional context. Many people who are caring for a relative prefer to call in sick to their employer instead of addressing the issue openly. For example, because they are afraid of losing their job,” says Solveig Giesecke, press officer at the service centre of the government programme Compatibility of Work and Care. “One of the aims of the programme is to help everyone deal with the issue more openly,” As well as relieving the burden on employees, the programme also benefits the companies concerned. According to Giesecke, compatibility solutions can save working time that would otherwise be lost when employees call in sick without saying a word. In addition, trust and loyalty to the company are strengthened - and with it the company's image as a family-friendly employer. This is also a plus point when it comes to recruiting and retaining skilled workers. To date, more than 400 companies in North Rhine-Westphalia have signed the Charter for Compatibility of Work and Care in North Rhine-Westphalia. More information on the government programme 'Compatibility of Work and Care' at BERUFUNDPFLEGE-NRW.DE/SO-FUNKTIONIERTS/
PRACTICAL HELP
Relatives are often unprepared when a relative needs care. The Kaiserswerther Diakonie offers support through the Family Care Department at the Florence Nightingale Hospital, for example through personal counselling, care training and discussion groups. The free basic care course is aimed at carers who have decided to look after a family member at home. Participants learn basic caring techniques and tips for everyday living. The next course starts on 5 November 2024. For more information on the support services offered by Kaiserswerther Diakonie, visit FLORENCE-NIGHTINGALE-KRANKENHAUS.DE /FAMILIALE-PFLEGE
„Many people who are caring for a relative prefer to call in sick to their employer instead of addressing the issue openly.“
IN CONVERSATION WITH ...
... Dr Max Skorning, Director of the Düsseldorf Health Department since February 2023.
How important is care for the work of the health department?
Care plays a major role throughout the healthcare system - whether in hospital, in a nursing home or at home through mobile services and family members. In view of the demographic development and the shortage of nursing staff, ensuring care is an essential aspect. It also concerns and occupies us in the public health sector in numerous tasks on a daily basis.
How does the Düsseldorf Department of Health support the city's citizens in "healthy ageing"?
We provide support, advice, protection and 'rescue' in many areas and situations of life that particularly affect people in old age. For example, we are responsible for the self-help office, the advice centre for people with physical disabilities and chronic illnesses, the emergency medical service and the medical management of the rescue service. Traditional health protection tasks such as hygiene, infection and heat protection, where older people are particularly vulnerable, also play an important role. In social psychiatry, we also see many older people who need help with depression, dementia, addiction, loneliness or psychological trauma. One of our key tasks is networking and coordination: we work in partnership within the city administration and with many actors in urban society to meet these challenges, and we need to develop this further.
Among other things, you are an expert in the field of e-health. How can this improve care in the future? And are there any concrete plans for the capital city?
Well-implemented digitalisation will always lead to improvements. In addition to improving efficiency, completely new care concepts are also conceivable, for example in the area of telemedicine. For example, we are currently working with the fire brigade to implement my former “pioneering topic” of tele-emergency doctors, which can also be extended to the provision of comprehensive care. It is important to note that the opportunities offered by digitalisation do not lie in making care more impersonal or technical, but rather in relieving the burden on specialists and thus creating more room for direct human contact and care. •
Words: Elena Winter
Pictures: PIKSEL, Kaiserswerther Diakonie / Frank Elschner