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At some point, my brother and I thought, 'Something's not right,'" Maria Glück* recalls when she talks about how visits with her 72-year-old father went. Since separating from her mother, the father, who lived alone, seemed to be neglecting himself: he no longer opened his mail, didn't prepare proper meals for himself, even though his two adult children regularly shopped for him, stopped answering the phone, and hardly ever left the house.
We first thought it was depression because our father had just stopped working – he had previously been self-employed, had few friends and barely any hobbies, and the separation from my mother had also been difficult for both of them," says Maria Glück.
Every two to three weeks, the two children visited their father, who lives in Gummersbach, and undertook long journeys for this purpose. But at some point, they grew uneasy at the thought of the 72-year-old being all alone in his house: "Our neighbor also said that the father had changed a lot, he hardly communicates anymore.
And so it happens that Maria Glück is quite worried at the beginning of 2015. She and her brother agree that it would be best to have their father checked out in the hospital. And it turns out: he is not suffering from depression, but is diagnosed with dementia. "Suddenly everything made sense," says the 35-year-old daughter.
I was considering whether I needed to take time off to care for him, and whether I could continue working—my brother lives in France, he's self-employed, so he definitely couldn't take care of father," the BAYER employee summarizes her worries back then. During this time, the 35-year-old kept her boss informed—such circumstances are not left behind at the factory gate. Her boss not only listened with understanding but also had a good piece of advice for her employee: she could contact famPLUS, who, in addition to arranging childcare, also offer professional advice on eldercare/caregiving.
Maria Glück gratefully took the advice and immediately took care of the initial contact. "After that, I felt better – I had several quite long conversations with an employee from famPLUS who was able to answer many questions and gave me courage. She also said right away that I can continue working and that there are options for accommodating my father well that are also affordable." A weight was lifted off her shoulders. "The famPLUS employee explained the care levels to me and that, due to my father's financial situation, the social welfare office covers the costs for the nursing home, and she also gave a lot of tips for the forms. That was really good.
And not only were Maria Glück and her father well taken care of during the consultation, they were also fortunate with the follow-up care for the father, as the hospital was able to directly refer him to a specialized care facility. "I didn't need famPLUS for that, but it was reassuring to know that I would have received help with this as well," summarizes the BAYER employee.
I was really worried about my professional and personal future when things with my father became so difficult. And now I know that my brother and I made the right decision when we sought advice. Our father is well cared for, and he's doing well where he is." That's exactly how it should be.
Because it is clear that employees can concentrate better on their work when they do not have to worry about the well-being of relatives. And losing an employee like Maria Glück, at least temporarily, due to a leave of absence for caregiving, would have been economically disadvantageous for BAYER as well. In this regard, both employers and employees are not only satisfied but also well-advised.
*Name changed by the editorial team. Story 100% authentic.
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