Student experience | Ivo on studying with informal care

“Studying in combination with informal care duties has to be well organized,” said Ivo. As a student, he spends about six hours a week caring for his father. This requires good planning and understanding from the educational institution. Ivo shares tips from his experiences to keep a grip on the informal care tasks, so they do not become a burden and it remains fun to care for the person.

“We divided the informal care duties in the family between my brother, mother and myself. We also received support half a day a week from home care. Every week I spend about six hours on informal care. These are mainly household chores, day care, cooking and visits to make sure everything is going well. The medical appointments are taken care of by my mother.”

Personal Budget

The personal budget (pgb) is for people who need support due to illness or disability. This allows them to decide what care they purchase and who they hire to provide it. If you provide care to a loved one, you can get paid from a pgb budget. The condition is that you provide the help for which the pgb is intended.

Divide care responsibilities also because of the pgb

“You can apply for a pgb for the day(s) you perform informal care duties. If you are on your own, and thus only receive income from the pgb, you run a great risk. I therefore advise you to divide the care tasks, possibly with professional help. So that you can possibly keep your (part-time) job. This way you do not run the risk, that when the person in need of care has to go to a care facility or dies, you no longer have a (part-time) job and therefore no income.”

Easing attendance requirement training needed

“Because you are needed or have to be available at varying times, you can run into problems at school. Flexibility and especially understanding is very important. Supervisors at school need to know what care duties can entail. Because students who combine their education with care duties are at risk of lower study results, study dropout and physical complaints. It is therefore important that when students are in a pinch, this is discussed with them in good time and that they are supported where necessary.”