File
Filart M1, Bieleman A1, Oosterveld F1
1Saxion University of Applied Sciences, Academy Health Care, Enschede, Netherlands
Background: Workers in health care are more often informal caregiver than other workers. Three Dutch health care organizations needed a better insight into informal caregivers among their employees to determine wether a specific policy is necessary in the context of sustainable employability. Combining work and informal care can cause overload, but caregiving can also contribute positively to the well-being of employees.
Purpose: Purpose of this exploratory study was to describe the characteristics of the informal caregiving employees, the effects of the combination work and informal care on their health, well-being and sustainable employability and their need for support.
Methods: A mixed methods study was conducted among 19 informal caregivers from the three organizations. Participation was on a voluntary basis. An informed consent was signed before the start of the interviews. A questionnaire, based on literature research, has been developed by students physical therapy, lecturers/researchers and human resource managers. The questions about personal situation, load, experienced health (questionnaire Positive Health) and work values (Capability questionnaire) were asked and analyzed with SPSS version 25. All data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, The difference in load between work and informal care was tested for significant differences (Chi², p 0.05). In addition, the questions about support and needs were encoded and analyzed after full transcription of the interviews with Atlas-TI version 7.5.18. The processing of the data was anonymous.
Results: Personal situations and the load in work and informal care varied. In work the physical load dominated in informal care the emotional load. Most employees experienced a good health. A few had physical symptoms, sleep problems and a lack of balance in life. Informal care often gives satisfaction, appreciation and personal development. In general, work offers many opportunities to realize work values, but setting own goals is not always possible. Many have no knowledge about possibilities and facilities to combine work and informal care. There is a need for accessible arrangements.
Conclusion(s): 'The' informal caregiving employee does not exists, personalized support is needed. Both for work and for the private situation of the caregiver, needs and recommendations for support have been expressed. To ensure appropriate support further study is needed to explore the vision and the role of the employers, human resource managers and their health care services. The question may be: How can they implement good practices and support their working informal caregivers? An additional question to be investigated is: How can professionals like physical therapists provide support to informal caregivers in a better way?
Implications: Starting point is the dialogue with an employee who combines work and informal care about the personal situation. Specific arrangements from employers, informal care institutions and health care providers, can support the working informal caregivers in enabling their formal and informal tasks. Questionnaires as My Positive Health and the Capability questionnaire provide opportunities to discuss the combination of work and informal care by employer, employee and health care providers like physical therapists.
Keywords: Sustainable employability, Workload, Informal care
Funding acknowledgements: Within the Vitaal Twente prevention coalition participated Carintreggeland, Livio, the hospital group ZGT, Saxion, Vita Valley and Zelfregie Werkt.
Purpose: Purpose of this exploratory study was to describe the characteristics of the informal caregiving employees, the effects of the combination work and informal care on their health, well-being and sustainable employability and their need for support.
Methods: A mixed methods study was conducted among 19 informal caregivers from the three organizations. Participation was on a voluntary basis. An informed consent was signed before the start of the interviews. A questionnaire, based on literature research, has been developed by students physical therapy, lecturers/researchers and human resource managers. The questions about personal situation, load, experienced health (questionnaire Positive Health) and work values (Capability questionnaire) were asked and analyzed with SPSS version 25. All data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, The difference in load between work and informal care was tested for significant differences (Chi², p 0.05). In addition, the questions about support and needs were encoded and analyzed after full transcription of the interviews with Atlas-TI version 7.5.18. The processing of the data was anonymous.
Results: Personal situations and the load in work and informal care varied. In work the physical load dominated in informal care the emotional load. Most employees experienced a good health. A few had physical symptoms, sleep problems and a lack of balance in life. Informal care often gives satisfaction, appreciation and personal development. In general, work offers many opportunities to realize work values, but setting own goals is not always possible. Many have no knowledge about possibilities and facilities to combine work and informal care. There is a need for accessible arrangements.
Conclusion(s): 'The' informal caregiving employee does not exists, personalized support is needed. Both for work and for the private situation of the caregiver, needs and recommendations for support have been expressed. To ensure appropriate support further study is needed to explore the vision and the role of the employers, human resource managers and their health care services. The question may be: How can they implement good practices and support their working informal caregivers? An additional question to be investigated is: How can professionals like physical therapists provide support to informal caregivers in a better way?
Implications: Starting point is the dialogue with an employee who combines work and informal care about the personal situation. Specific arrangements from employers, informal care institutions and health care providers, can support the working informal caregivers in enabling their formal and informal tasks. Questionnaires as My Positive Health and the Capability questionnaire provide opportunities to discuss the combination of work and informal care by employer, employee and health care providers like physical therapists.
Keywords: Sustainable employability, Workload, Informal care
Funding acknowledgements: Within the Vitaal Twente prevention coalition participated Carintreggeland, Livio, the hospital group ZGT, Saxion, Vita Valley and Zelfregie Werkt.
Topic: Occupational health & ergonomics
Ethics approval required: No
Institution: Saxion University of Apllied Sciences, Academic Health Care
Ethics committee: Researchgroup Health Care and Movement
Reason not required: Ethical approval was not required for this exploratory descriptive study with the purpose to determine wether a specific new policy is necessary in the context of sustainable employability of working informal caregivers. The legal rules for informed consent and privacy have been applied. This study does not contain any intervention
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
