By
Kathleen Bogolea, MS
The demanding role of being a caregiver spreads across all
racial, gender, age and ethnic boundaries. Some of the
common stressors that affect both urban and rural sandwich
generation caregivers are:
- How do I split my time between my children/family and my
elder loved one?
- How much of my time is too much time in each caregiving
role?
- How do you find the time for my marriage?
- How do you find the time for myself?
- How do I keep the generational peace between my kids and
my elder loved one?
- How do I find the resources that I need for my self and
my loved one?
- How do I combat my feelings of isolation?
- Guilt, Guilt and more Guilt for not having enough time
to accomplish all that “should” be doing.
To counter act some of these stressors, here are some
caregiver tips that may help sandwich generation caregivers
along the way:
Hold A Family Meeting
At this meeting, discuss the many different caregiving tasks
that need to be accomplished each day or week. Set a task
list for family members to complete each day/week. Set
mutual expectations of how the many tasks of caregiving will be
accomplished. Caregiving is often a one-person show but it
does not need to be if you have family support. The family
meeting also allows for family members to participate and share
in the valuable gift of caregiving and this can be very
rewarding.
Communication
Encourage children and elders to communicate with one another.
During the family meeting, make sure that all family members
have a chance to talk about their thoughts and feelings.
