abstract: 'BACKGROUND: In The Netherlands, one out of six Dutch employees has

  informal care tasks; in the hospital and healthcare sector, this ratio

  is one out of four workers. Informal carers experience problems with the

  combination of work and informal care. In particular, they have problems

  with the burden of responsibility, a lack of independence and their

  health. These problems can reveal themselves in a variety of mental and

  physical symptoms that can result in absenteeism, reduction or loss of

  (work) participation, reduction of income, and even social isolation.

  OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to describe the factors that

  informal carers who are employed in healthcare organizations identify as

  affecting their quality of life, labour participation and health.

  METHODS: We conducted an exploratory study in 2013-2014 that included

  desk research and a qualitative study. Sixteen semi-structured

  interviews were conducted with healthcare employees who combine work and

  informal care. Data were analyzed with Atlas-TI.

  RESULTS: We identified five themes: 1. Fear and responsibility; 2. Sense

  that one''s own needs are not being met; 3. Work as an escape from home;

  4. Health: a lack of balance; and 5. The role of colleagues and

  managers: giving support and understanding.

  CONCLUSIONS: Respondents combine work and informal care because they

  have no other solution. The top three reasons for working are: income,

  escape from home and satisfaction. The biggest problems informal carers

  experience are a lack of time and energy. They are all tired and are

  often or always exhausted at the end of the day. They give up activities

  for themselves, their social networks become smaller and they have less

  interest in social activities. Their managers are usually aware of the

  situation, but informal care is not a topic of informal conversation or

  in performance appraisals. Respondents solve their problems with

  colleagues and expect little from the organization.'
affiliation: 'Heitink, E (Corresponding Author), HAN Univ Appl Sci, Res Grp Occupat
  \& Hlth, Postbus 6960, NL-6503 GL Nijmegen, Netherlands.

  Heitink, Eveline; Heerkens, Yvonne; Engels, Josephine, HAN Univ Appl Sci, Nijmegen,
  Netherlands.'
author: Heitink, Eveline and Heerkens, Yvonne and Engels, Josephine
author-email: eveline.heitink@han.nl
author_list:
- family: Heitink
  given: Eveline
- family: Heerkens
  given: Yvonne
- family: Engels
  given: Josephine
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.3233/WOR-172607
eissn: 1875-9270
files: []
issn: 1051-9815
journal: WORK-A JOURNAL OF PREVENTION ASSESSMENT \& REHABILITATION
keywords: 'Women''s health; combination work; feeling trapped; call on

  responsibility'
language: English
number: '2'
number-of-cited-references: '35'
pages: 215-231
papis_id: ae940de7ed6c0afc185e5a4bc9b459ae
ref: Heitink2017informalcare
times-cited: '6'
title: 'Informal care, employment and quality of life: Barriers and facilitators to
  combining informal care and work participation for healthcare professionals'
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000413401600014
usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
usage-count-since-2013: '16'
volume: '58'
web-of-science-categories: Public, Environmental \& Occupational Health
year: '2017'