Adults in their 40s are very likely to have a parent over the age of 65 and children under the age of 18. At this point in their lives, they’re “sandwiched” between two generations in need of care. That’s what a sandwich-generation caregiver is. It’s a caregiver who is sandwiched between the care their parents and children need.
The other challenging aspect a sandwich-generation caregiver faces is that most also hold full-time jobs. Does this sound familiar? You get your kids up, fed, and on the school bus. You get ready for work, stop by your dad’s house to make sure he’s up and has breakfast, and then get to work.
You spend your lunch break going to your dad’s house to make sure he has lunch. After work, you stop by and make his dinner and verify he’s taken his medications. You leave and go home to feed your kids, help them with housework, and get them ready for bed.
You have dishes to wash, laundry to take care of, and clutter to tidy up. By the time it’s quiet, it’s time for you to go to bed. You’ve had no time to relax. That’s the problem sandwich-generation caregivers have.
When you stop taking care of yourself, you run into problems with stress building up and anxiety increasing. It impacts your mental and physical health.
What Can You Do to Ease Your To-Do List?
What can you do to reduce the number of things on your to-do list? If you’re feeling overloaded, it’s time to delegate. Do you have any brothers and sisters in the area? Ask them for help. They should be willing to help out.
Create daily, weekly, and monthly to-do lists of all the things your dad needs help completing. If you set them up somewhere like on Google Drive, it’s easy for everyone to access. They can see where tasks line up with their visits with your dad, and mark what they’re going to take care of.
If you don’t have siblings available, you might find a neighbor who is happy to have your dad join their family on walks. Your dad’s neighbor may be willing to bring him to the store when they do the shopping. That can help check things off your list.
Always Take Care of Yourself
Are you a sandwich-generation caregiver? If so, it’s time to focus on what you need. If you’re helping everyone else and ignoring your own needs to be social, have time to yourself, and eat healthily, your mental and physical health is going to be impacted.
Arrange personal care services to make sure you have time to yourself. If you’re able to socialize with friends, spend time with your family, and not feel pressed to rush to your dad’s home and back to work every day, it’s better for your health. Personal care services aides help your dad while you focus on self-care.
If you or an aging loved one are considering the assistance of an personal care services in Catonsville, MD please contact the caring staff at Renaissance Adult Medical Center. Call (443) 501-9500
Renaissance Adult Medical Center Provides Senior Socialization in a Medical Adult Day Care Center in Baltimore City, Baltimore County (Pikesville, Towson, Owings Mills, Catonsville, Reisterstown, Dundalk, Essex), Howard County (Columbia, Ellicott City, Elkridge, Laurel), and in many other counties and cities of Maryland.
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