Study: A quarter of caregivers feel overburdened
Some key findings:
- 60 per cent of carers would like more support.
- Almost a quarter of the respondends feel overburdened
- 55 per cent have no structural arrangements with their employer on how to combine work and care.
- A third are not satisfied with how their boss deals with the situation
- While some have made arrangements to combine different forms of leave, 6 per cent call in sick to take care of their duties as carers.
More than a third of the 1500 caregivers registered in the municipality of Assen, Drenthe, participated in the survey. The survey was conducted by TGO-UMCG, the research branch of the University Medical Centre in Groningen and presented to the Drenthe city council on January 24. The aim of the study was to find ways to best support the carers.
"The carers feel a great sense of responsibility for the person they are caring for. But they also feel exhausted, under pressure, and their work suffers", says researcher Geke Dijkstra.
The majority of caregivers in the municipality is between 55 and 64 years old. Almost 70 percent are women. While male caregivers look at the financial arrangements, women want more hands-on help – with their own housekeeping, for example. Furthermore, caregivers would like financial compensation for costs made and the possibility of respite care.