As any caregiver knows, caregiving doesn’t just involve providing personal care. Caregiving typically includes supervision, meal preparation, housekeeping, coordination of services, research, and emotional support.

Several caregivers end up leaving the workforce in order to provide better full-time support for a loved one in need. However, this can end up taking a huge financial toll on the caregiver.

Over the past few years, more work-from-home opportunities have become available.

In this article, we will cover the financial burden caregiving can cause. In addition, we'll review five possible work-from-home roles to consider if you're a family caregiver looking for flexible yet consistent work. By the end of this article, you'll have a better understanding of the types of WFH job opportunities available.

What is the Financial Impact of Caregiving?

Whether you’re a live-in family caregiver for your loved one, or spend significant time with them at their home or assisted living facility, caregiving requires a lot of time and effort.

Alternatively, you may find that your current employer simply does not understand the responsibilities that come with being a family caregiver. This can result in increased stress and poor overall wellness.

Many family caregivers find themselves having to leave the workforce in order to care for their loved ones, resulting in a significant loss of income.

Between paying for respite care, in-home care, medications, insurance, and daily expenses, the cost of aging is only increasing. This financial strain is just one of the many challenges caregivers face while supporting an older adult. 

Why should Family Caregivers consider Working From Home?

While caregiving certainly keeps individuals busy, in some cases, the caregiver may have time during the day to work as long as they don’t have to leave their loved one home alone. 

Especially for someone with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, the care recipient may need significant supervision for safety purposes but have lesser personal care needs. These caregivers may be able to accept a job that allows them to balance their caregiving obligations with their work, by having them work at home instead.

Many work-from-home jobs allow for more flexible scheduling that can accommodate personal care and appointments for the employee’s loved one. 

5 Work-From-Home Jobs For Family Caregivers

Here we’ll explore five work-from-home roles that you can try from the comfort of your own home:

1. Freelance Content Creator

Do you enjoy writing or creating content for social media or websites? Do you have a niche or hobby that you’re especially knowledgeable in? 

Many companies seek content creators or blog writers to develop content for their websites. Freelance work is not your average 8-hour shift job. It’s an ideal option for family caregivers as it allows for flexible hours to work around their loved one’s needs. 

Freelance writing jobs can be found on common job boards or platforms specific for freelance and consulting work like Fiverr and Upwork. The salary of a freelance worker varies depending on the projects and timing. 

2. Customer Support Representative 

A growing number of companies seek customer support workers to work remotely.

Whether it’s answering calls or emails, there’s a variety of companies seeking support in this area, especially in the healthcare and tech industries. While a customer service role may have a more rigid schedule, it will typically come with a more consistent pay schedule. 

3. Online Tutor

Students around the world seek tutors for classes. If you are specialized in a particular field and have an area of expertise, consider signing up to tutor students. Tutoring generally allows you to create a schedule that works for you.

Pay would also be dependent on your level of experience and the number of hours you're willing to put into the role.

4. Transcriber or Translator

Another great option for work-from-home work could include working as a Transcriber or Translator.

Are you a quick typer? Do you know multiple languages?

If you’re a quick typer, transcription work may be the right fit for you. If you're proficient in two or more languages, consider using your skills as a translator.

5. Virtual Assistant

Working as a virtual assistant may have a variety of tasks associated with it, depending on the specifics of the role.

The Virtual Assistant role may require placing phone calls, sending emails, and other forms of correspondence-related skills. Again, the schedule and pay would be dependent on the specifics of the role. 

A few Tips for Caregivers seeking work

Especially when seeking a “work from home” position, it’s important to carefully review job postings. 

Make sure the job description is understandable and clear. If something seems too good to be true - it might just be.

Look for positions at reputable companies or through reputable job boards. Consider re-connecting with former colleagues for referrals to organizations that may be hiring.

You can also do your own background check and research the company and former employees.

If none of these jobs seem like the right fit, consider the skills you have and the previous job positions you have held. Over the past few years, several companies have pivoted to hiring more remote workers.

When applying, consider putting your caregiver experience on your resume. Caregivers possess many skills that are transferable to formal work experience. Skills such as coordinating appointments and home care tasks, exhibiting patience, and liaising between family members and care providers can all help build your resume.

When inputting your experience on LinkedIn, they even provide an option for Caregiving as a reason for a gap between jobs.

Formal employment can feel like a respite from caregiving. It allows caregivers to engage in something more personal and something separate from caregiving.