Quite a few people at ETH Zurich are faced with the challenge of balancing their professional activities with caring for relatives. On October 30, the Swiss-wide Day of Caring for Dependants, various events with a focus on the topic of mental health will be offered at ETH Zurich
Around 600,000 people in Switzerland look after and care for someone in their family with age-related or health-related limitations. That is about one in 13 people. This voluntary support makes it possible for many people in need of care and support to continue living at home.
There are also many persons among the staff and students of ETH Zurich who, in addition to their work or studies, fulfil another, demanding task - looking after and caring for family members or close people. This task brings numerous challenges, be it emotional, organisational, or time related.
A day for the relatives
The «Day of Caring for Dependants», which is celebrated throughout Switzerland on October 30th, offers an opportunity to show respect and recognition to those who help and support and to thank them for their commitment. At the same time, it also serves to remind those who help and support to pay attention to their own health and quality of life.
This year, ETH Zurich is taking part for the first time. The action day enables employees and students of ETH Zurich to find out more about various topics, get to know the supporting infrastructure at ETH (and outside) better and exchange ideas with like-minded people.
«As a university it is important to us to support our employees and students in such life situations and to create understanding for their special situation.» says Julia Dannath, Vice President for Personnel Development and Leadership.
«ETH stands for a culture of togetherness in which everyone is valued - especially in special life situations such as caring for relatives.»
Program on Wednesday, October 30, 2024
9:00-10:15 a.m. (German, online)
Opening event «Caring for relatives: balance between stress and relief». With a welcome address from Vice President Julia Dannath, a presentation of the student initiative MeWell and an input from Stefanie Becker from Alzheimer Switzerland on the topic «So that helpers can help»
10:30-11:30 a.m. (English, online)
Information event with Iren Bischofsberger, senior researcher at TransdisciplinarityLab, of D-USYS, with an input on the topic «Taking care from a distance – When ill or old family members need help around the globe»
12:00-1:30 p.m. (German, on site in the Alumni Pavillon)
Lunch & Learn with HR Consulting, SGU and ETH Diversity «Between work/study and care – When relatives need help» and exchange opportunities for participants
Day of Caring for Dependants in Switzerland
The Day of Caring for Dependants is an intercantonal action day, which takes place each year on October 30. With this day, various Swiss cantons are sending a strong signal: They recognize the great contribution of people who care for their relatives. Health and social authorities as well as private organisations and companies are working in partnership to hold this day and are organising events at which interested parties can obtain information and exchange ideas.
external page Official website of the action day (German only)
Note on the translation
This text has been translated for your convenience using a machine translation tool. Although reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, it may not be perfect. If in doubt, please refer to the German version.
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