Do you have elderly parents in need of assistance at home? Are you also trying to accommodate taking care of children and family at home? Then you are a part of the sandwich generation – a generation of individuals, generally in their thirties or forties, who have become responsible for raising their own children while providing care for their elderly parents. The to-do lists of today’s sandwich generation are packed, to say the least. A lot of family caregivers not only work full–time, but they are also taking their kids to and from school and after-school activities and taking care of household tasks on top of their caregiving responsibilities. There are strategies to support caregivers though, and the beginning step is becoming informed on how to make the circumstances more manageable.
At the risk of placing more on your plate, give some thought to building in these items to your to-do list to help:
Hold a family meeting.
Talk through the numerous different caregiving duties that need to be performed each day or week. Establish mutual expectations of how the many tasks of caregiving will be completed.
Get the facts to avoid surprises.
Caregivers should talk to their parents about how they’re managing financially, what their desires are for long-term care, and what plans they may have made if they become ill or disabled.
Ask for help.
This can frequently be the toughest thing for a family caregiver to do, but it is definitely the most essential. You can’t do everything on your own, and that’s OK! Contact resources like your local Area Agency on Aging, a hospital social worker, a physician, or your religious organization. Also contact a local senior care agency, like Heaven at Home Senior Care of Denton and the surrounding area, to give yourself a break while making sure that your loved one is well cared for.
Most importantly, bear in mind that you don’t ever need to go it alone. Heaven at Home Senior Care’s in-home care services can allow you the opportunities you need to rest and recuperate so you don’t encounter sandwich generation caregiver burnout. Whether the need is for just several hours each week, around-the-clock, live-in care, or anything in between, our highly skilled care staff can assist with a vast range of home care needs: personal hygiene, meal planning/preparation, household chores, errand-running, transportation, or simply pleasant companionship to take part in enjoyable conversations and pastimes.
Contact our Denton home health experts today at (940) 380-0500 to discover more about our elder care services and to find out how we can assist you and your family, and visit our Service Area page to find out if our services are available in your community.