An Employment Question

[Cachoo]

Okay so this year has been more of the worst of times than the best of times. I cared for my parents following their car wreck. Dad died fairly soon after the wreck (New Years Eve 2009.) But Mom, our beloved dog and I made the best of it for several years. I was able to temp from time to time but a few years ago it became all Mom all of the time. Thank heavens that she had a good mind and she was so sweet. And our dog provided a lot of love and laughter. I lost them both in April. And I didn't look after myself and ended up in the hospital for a month.

So now I'm on the mend---I miss them terribly but that is to be expected. I have a little (and I mean little) financial wiggle room but that money is going quickly. I'm too weak to get out and work yet and I've been advised repeatedly apply for disability. But my condition is chronic, not terminal and a good recovery is both possible and very probable. I need work now. There is nothing wrong with my mind. I can wear a headset and I'm a good typist. I want something simple for now and I know the pay won't be substantial.

My question: Do you know of reliable websites that do offer work at home? I'm new to this as it has been years since I've been out and I am looking for sites that provide actual jobs. I know about the big sites like Indeed and CareerBuilder. Are there other places you would look?

Thanks for your time.

 

[Aceon6]

@Cachoo My advice is to research insurance companies and manufacturers who do mostly remote customer support. Your writing is quite good and very clear, so I don’t think you’d have much trouble finding something. And don’t forget to check your local government both for job leads and search support.

Good luck!

 

[Cachoo]

Thanks Aceon6: Finding something local would be preferable.

 

[Spun Silver]

I'm very sorry for all your losses and travails. It sounds so rough!

I don't have a website to suggest. Grantwriting is very doable from home, but it is a craft to be learned. You can learn it by doing it, but it takes time and might be hard to get started except as a volunteer and/or through a friend or contact at a nonprofit.

About disability, I just wanted to note that it can be very hard to get on it (people often get turned down and need the help of disability lawyers or organizations like the Advocator Group) and also that you don't need to stay on it. It could be temporary help until you feel like yourself again. Also, to some extent you can work part-time and still receive (reduced) disability benefits. It might be worthwhile consulting a disability lawyer (you should be able to learn a lot in a free initial consult) and applying before things get desperate. Best wishes!

 

[overedge]

If you can type and have a headset, online transcribing services are often looking for transcribers. But IME some of them have ridiculously high expectations and/or low pay, i.e. you have to do a LOT of transcribing to get anywhere near decent pay. So look before you leap.

 

[Aussie Willy]

I can only wish you good luck in finding a job. It can be really hard to get back into employment after time off. But working is probably one of the best things for recovery from illness, whether it be psychological or physical.

But networking is also a good start and just telling people what you want to do might provide options.

 

[Japanfan]

Cachoo, I'm sorry for your ordeal. How horrible to lose your mom and your dog at the same time.

You do say that you can wear a headset and are a good typist - am not clear where the idea for grant writing came from. Grant writing is indeed a craft to be learned and even when a grant application is well written, there is no guarantee that it will succeed. I've been in the writing/editing business for over 25 years, and the idea of doing a grant application terrifies me. I worked on one for academic funding in person with the client, but can't imagine being confident in selling myself as a grant writer.

SFAIK getting transcribing work is not that hard if you are good at it and offer a competitive rate. I tried it many years ago as I'm a super fast typist so it might have been good $$ for me. But I just couldn't handle being chained to the headset and the foot peddle.

 

[Simone411]

Here's the website that will inform you about everything you need to know about applying for Social Security Disability and/or Supplemental Security Income.

Benefits for People with Disabilities

There's even a Benefits Eligibility Screening Tool to find out which programs may be able to pay you benefits.
As @Spun Silver mentioned, you may be turned down or denied Social Security Disability benefits the first time you apply.

Don't give up, however. You will receive a letter from your local Social Security Administration informing you of whether you qualified or not with an explanation of why.

There are several reasons you may not qualify the first time, and it will be explained why you didn't qualify. Don't by any means reapply should you not qualify. Contact your local Social Security Administration and discuss with them the alternatives you may have. They will tell you to file an appeal instead of reapplying because if you reapply, you will have to start all over again using the new date. It would even delay you from getting what back pay you would ordinarily receive.

I was even denied the first time, and it was my social worker's fault while I was still in the hospital. When I left the hospital, I was automatically transferred to a nursing facility where I had to stay for a year in order to recuperate, get physical therapy and have use of a wound vac in order for my leg to heal.

My social worker failed to let Social Security know that I was transferred to the nursing facility. Therefore, Social Security thought I was well and went home when I left the hospital. I had to call and explain that I wasn't well, couldn't walk and was on a wound vac. The nursing facility and the hospital both sent Social Security my medical records where they could be informed of my condition.

I was able to file an appeal, and almost a year later, I had to appear in court in front of the judge. I decided not to use a disability lawyer because the judge had almost 5 inches of medical records including the information about the social worker not reporting that I was transferred to a nursing facility. A CNA from the nursing facility accompanied me to the court house because I was still using a wheelchair and couldn't walk yet. I did win my case because of my special circumstances.

My apologies for going into so much detail, but I wanted you to get an idea of what to expect. Usually, most everyone is denied the first time. However, the appeals judge I had to see told me that I should have been approved for Social Security Disability the first time and he blamed the Social Worker for not reporting what happened in her records.

 

[jadingirl]

My sister has just starting training for a work from home job for a company called A Place for Mom. They help find suitable nursing home spots for people's parents. I know they are in the states and I believe there workforce is mainly work from home. I don't know the exact website but you can google their name and it should take you there.

 

[Catherine M]

My cousin works from home as a customer service rep for one of the big hotel companies; she loves it as it gives her time to take care of her rescue dogs and horses (she lives on a farm).

 

[Lizziebeth]

My sister has just starting training for a work from home job for a company called A Place for Mom. They help find suitable nursing home spots for people's parents. I know they are in the states and I believe there workforce is mainly work from home. I don't know the exact website but you can google their name and it should take you there.

I think I saw Joan Lunden on their commercials. It was late nite TV so I could be confused

 

[skatesindreams]

I think I saw Joan Lunden on their commercials

You did.

 

[m_roulston]

You did.

Check out a website called https://ratracerebellion.com/. It seems to have lots of leads on places for work from home jobs. Hotels, rental car companies, and U-haul always seem to be looking for customer service reps. If you have any tech skills, there are usually oppotunites for tech support staff as well. I've also seen leads for insurance reps on there.

Something else you might want to check into is Back To Work 50+ (https://www.aarp.org/aarp-foundation/our-work/income/back-to-work-50-plus/). If there is a program in your area and you fit the age group, they offer workshops on helping you rejoin the work force and can give you ideas of other resources in your area that might help in your quest for a new job.

 

[mysticchic]

Amazon has work from home and also Indeed.com has jobs working from home