Why Not Work at Home?

I wasn't able to work at home during the pandemic. However, my daughter is still working from home and it has been a great help to my family. This situation will most likely end soon, but it made me realize all the benefits of having someone who can work from home. 

I just want to give my own situation as an example. At 82 my Dad had a stroke, and that's when he lost his independence. Today, he's 85 and has a lot of health and memory issues. He has to use a walker. 

However, throughout his life he had saved up a good amount of money and a lot of it ended up being spent on assisted living. The whole time he kept wanting to come home. The cost kept going up too. In June 2019, I finally figured out how to bring him home, and this involved paying a caregiver to be there with him while I was at work. The cost of that also went up too, but it was cheaper than assisted living.    

During the first lockdowns in March 2020, My daughter ended working at home and doing online classes. I waited a couple of months to see what would happen, but eventually there became no reason to have the caregiver. This resulted in my Dad NOT ending up completely broke. I also feel he was lucky I brought him home or I would've been waving to him through a window. He was lonely to begin with and that would've made it even worse. 

This is just simply how my family benefited from someone being able to work from home. How many more families have situations that would benefit from someone being at the house? I know it's not for everyone, and with many jobs it isn't possible. However, if it is possible, why not give employees the option? 

The obvious benefits include:

1. Less expenses involving vehicles: Gasoline and Mileage

2. Having time for better things, instead of being stuck in traffic.

3. Lowering pollution. 

4. Less traffic.

5. Less wear and tear on the roads 

6. More time with the kids/family. 

7. Being there for your aging parents. 

This is just a side note, but it took me awhile to get the point where I had learned enough to take care of him without anyone else's help. At first, I didn't even know how to put the legs on a wheelchair. I didn't know about walkers or shower benches. Dad was very impulsive at first, not really knowing his limitations and it was really hard to keep him from falling. He eventually became more accepting, but it took time to get there.