Our experiences inspire us to advocate for employed caregivers. Below is a type of caregiver we are thinking of, based on a conglomarate of stories and research on our mind.
Name: Darius Robinson, 62, he/his
Interests: Remote work, Alzheimer’s, senior rights, male rights, allyship
Story: Darius builds cloud-based solutions, and he has been at the same company for 19 years. Darius’s wife was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease two years ago. He has resisted putting her in permanent care and does not have the budget for at-home care during the workday.
Darius has petitioned to work remotely just to make sure the oven is turned off or that his wife does not walk out of the home in a confused state. His employer offers generous benefits to parents with children but laughed off the idea of Darius’s needs as a caretaker. Darius requires health insurance from his work and has not been able to find anyone interested in hiring him elsewhere with remote benefits. He privately wonders if his inability to be hired elsewhere has to do with his age or race, and Darius is also increasingly concerned about his ability to be hired when he discloses his reason for wanting remote work.
Darius is also responsible for all the home and spousal care, causing him to have limited energy and time to apply for jobs in the evenings. He loves his actual work and would like to stay if he could manage his dual roles.
Darius is also worried about being laid off if he makes a fuss about remote options. He wishes his colleagues would advocate for more remote work for everyone, but he simply hears them talking about the generous parental benefits and how his employer is so supportive to families.
Darius now just stays silent and keeps his head down, praying that his wife is okay at home alone and praying she won’t get worse too quickly. Darius feels isolated, stressed, frequently sick with headaches and stomach cramps, diminished, and low on options.
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