EP 72 :: Moving Forward: Employers and Caregivers :: Kathy Koenig
Kathy Koenig, M.S., is a Caregiver Coach and Consultant. She has been a caregiver for family and friends, both local, and at a distance. From those experiences, she knew she wanted to create programs to help others find solutions and satisfaction in caregiving. She is certified to teach caregiver programs, and presented at national conferences. Her goal is to help caregivers find manageability, case, and joy in caregiving.
“Sometimes caregiving is so overwhelming that you're thinking that you don't know what to do. But you realize that you do know how to do your job. It reinforces that sense of strength as an individual. Very often for us, our co-workers become family, and that's where the fun is, so being able to go there or have those relationships helps take the pressure off,” Kathy says.
“Ideally I would like to see a day center for people with dementia in the workplace similar to the childcare centers for their working employees,” Bobbi says.
“We now see what people's lives are like a little more fully due to the pandemic. We see pets running through rooms, children in the background, but we also see people caregiving in their homes, so it's not in the shadows anymore,” Kathy explains. “We now have over 53 million reported caregivers in the United States. and with this pandemic, that's only accelerated.”
Mike recalls,” At the height of my dad's illness, I had a supervisor that was amazing. I told him, ‘hey you know I got this situation home with my dad and he looked me dead straight in the eye and said, ‘Mike, just give me a heads up about what you need to do. Even if it's only a 5-minute heads up that you're leaving.’ I really appreciated that sentiment.”
“Caregiving is not always about someone who's elderly. It happens across all age ranges, and it can be an ending event in someone's life. A lot of people have really kept that under the radar because they are concerned that it will keep them from a work advancement or that it will somehow negatively be perceived,” Kathy says.
You can find our more about Kathy on her website and follow her on Facebook.
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