Are you a member of the “Sandwich Generation”? Sandwich generation members are men and women. Usually, women are between the ages of 34 and 54 and try to care for their young children and aging parents. While some men are the primary caregivers for children and aging parents, in most cases, women bear the brunt of caring for both children and elderly parents.
In fact, the stress of being a dual caretaker is overwhelming and can have serious health effects. With more than 70% of Sandwich Generation caregivers reporting extremely high-stress levels, the impact of that stress on health is a genuine concern. Prolonged exposure to extreme stress can contribute to the development of chronic health problems like diabetes, heart disease, and high cholesterol.
All in all, if you’re a Sandwich Generation member, you need to lighten the load a little. You must find some healthy coping strategies. Also, if you want to continue being able to enjoy time with your kids and your parents, you must ask for help. Above all, with healthy habits and good coping strategies like these, you don’t have to compromise on the quality of the care you give to the people you love.
Senior Home Care
Senior home care is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your senior parents. When your elderly parent has senior home care, it will take the stress from both of you. They will have help with household tasks. A home care professional can now handle cooking, laundry, managing medications, making grocery lists, and other chores. Moving those tasks off your plate will free up your time so that you can take your kids to the doctor or do your household tasks. It also means that the time you spend with your senior loved one can be quality time instead of time spent working.
Outsource Household Tasks
Outsourcing your household tasks is a great way to take some pressure off yourself. Use curbside pickup or delivery to get groceries. Hire a housecleaning service to come in once a week and deep clean the house. You can even hire a laundry service to tackle the mountains of laundry piling up in the laundry room. So, you can spend time reading with your kids instead of washing dishes.
Schedule Time For Your Needs
Don’t forget to make time for your own needs. Schedule time into your daily grind of errands and chores. Drive around to get a haircut, new shoes, or go for a facial and a massage. Self-care isn’t a luxury, and it’s not something you can go without. If you’re not taking good care of yourself, you won’t be able to care for anyone else. You will run out of energy and end up sick in bed, unable to do anything for anyone. It’s not selfish to take care of your own needs first.
Aviva In-Home Care provides compassionate and skilled in-home care. We are the Bay Area’s premier provider of in-home care services.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional Senior Home Care in San Mateo, CA, call the caring staff at Aviva In-Home Care. Call today: (415) 795-2203
Sources:
https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2013/01/30/the-sandwich-generation/
https://www.apa.org/topics/families/sandwich-generation
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210128-why-the-sandwich-generation-is-so-stressed-out
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