Caring for the Live-in Caregiver in Canada: Expert Guide
The topic for discussion is to examine the essence of caring for the live-in caregiver in Canada. This guide may also be useful to caregiver employers from other countries. It is absolutely true to suggest that the live-in caregiver has a complex and sometimes intense relationship with her employer. The complex nature of this relationship is naturally justified for obvious reasons. The relationship between the caregiver and the caregiver employer is not just restricted to two individuals; parents, children, other family members, friends and other professionals are often part of the union.
To begin with, the caregiver’s family, work mates, friends and colleagues are affected by the new working relationship between the caregiver and her employer. Considering the fact that the caregiver becomes responsible for providing close and personal care to the employer or an important family member, care must be taken in managing with the caregiver. Why is this necessary, you may ask? The answer is a simple one. Caregiving is a special service that demands a lot from the caregiver, who is often underpaid in comparative terms.
Live-in caregivers in Canada are mostly foreign nannies or overseas foreign workers. These foreign caregivers immigrate to Canada to work by providing caregiving services to their employers in Canada. It is important to keep in mind that these foreign caregivers in Canada usually leave their children, spouses, parents and friends in their home countries when they travel overseas to work. This explains why caregiver employers should appreciate how lonely life can be for these live-in caregivers in Canada.
In relation to the above complex dynamics, it is in the interest of the caregiver employer to see to it that the caregiver is properly supported by caring for the caregiver. Taking good care of your caregiver and maintaining a cordial relationship with your live-in nanny is not just altruistic but very necessary, and affirmed by common sense. If you think that caring for your caregiver is too much to ask because you are paying the caregiver, try to imagine leaving yourself or close family member in the hands of a burnout caregiver. A stressed out caregiver can easily be described as someone who is emotionally unstable. You definitely don’t want your child caregiver or elderly caregiver to be declared as having symptoms of a burnout caregiver due to unbearable stress that you failed to manage.
It is in your utmost interest to keep in mind that the entire period of time that your live-in caregiver spent caring for you and your family, the caregiver is physically not available to provide care for her own children, spouse, parents, family and friends. This implies that, while the live-in caregiver is busy taking care of you and your family needs in Canada, the caregiver’s own family is being forced to make difficult sacrifices because of the absence of her physical presence. There is no doubt that these mixed emotions and feelings can complicate the life of the live-in caregiver who is far away from home. Hence, the need for you as a caregiver employer to take care of your overseas foreign caregiver properly.
A vast majority of the caregivers in Canada come from places such as The Philippines, the Caribbean, some parts of Africa and Indonesia. These Filipino caregivers, the Caribbean caregivers, the African caregivers and the Indonesian caregivers mostly have their friends within the caregiver community in Canada. This situation makes it difficult for the caregivers to receive psychological and emotional support from their friends since these friends are also caregivers in Canada themselves. It is common knowledge for people in the care giving profession that providing care giving services can easily breakdown even the toughest adult. The effects of the caregiver burnout syndrome have far reaching consequences that go even beyond the main caregiver only. A live-in caregiver who is suffering from a burnout is bound to struggle in maintaining a healthy working relationship with her employers. Additionally, the personal relationships that exist between the caregiver and her loved ones will also suffer.
The above discussion makes it imperative for caregiver employers in Canada to also provide reasonable care for their caregivers. It is very apparent that caregivers need the help and support from their employers to strengthen this symbiotic relationship between the cared and the carer. If you are in doubt about what exactly is required of you to help you take care of your caregiver, consider the following:
- Make it clear to your caregiver that you appreciate and believe in the services she is providing. The loneliness caregivers feel is often accompanied by guilt that people around them don’t think they are doing their best. Sanctioning or providing a positive feedback helps the caregiver to get rid of the guilty feelings.
- Let your live-in caregiver know that her contribution is vital and you miss her each time she steps out of sight and therefore you can’t imagine life without her.
- Support her physically by picking up the slack. Once in a while, offer to assist or perform some of her tasks without even announcing it to the caregiver.
- Allow your live-in caregiver to take breaks whenever you notice the caregiver is running low on her energy level.
- Arrange unexpected surprises and rewards for your live-in caregiver. Nice surprises can serve as a source to relief stress for live-in nanny because the caregiver will feel loved and valued.
To prevent caregiver burnout and complete breakdown, it is the responsibility of the employer to act quickly in order to rescue the situation once early symptoms of burnout are detected. Equally important is the need to spot early signs of extreme stress of the caregiver so that remedial action can be taken as soon as possible. The effectiveness in spotting the early signals of potential caregiver burnout can be achieved by soliciting the help of spouses, children, associates, friends and co-workers to pay attention to the behaviour of the caregiver in that regard.
In conclusion, taking care of your caregivers ensures that the employers and their loved ones get better attention and care from the live-in caregiver. This makes it a team work and win-win proposition for all the stakeholders involved in this relationship. In effect, the caregiver provides care to the employer and the employers also cares for the caregiver to make it a full circle.
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