If you are taking care of your parents and children then you are a member of the sandwich generation which is estimated to be at least 47% of adults. The sandwich phenomenon is affecting a large population, and people get to leave a stressful lifestyle, and it can be challenging. Dorothy Miller created the term sandwich generation and their different signs that help you know if you are part of the growing demographic.
The sandwich caregiver is about 40 to 50 years old raise small children and are responsible for an older child financially. Research has shown that the sandwich generation have full-time jobs on top of caring for their family but more responsibilities for on the women than men. Taking care of your family and parents financially can affect your mental state since you are under a lot of pressure every day.
If you’re regularly taking care of your grandparents and grandchildren then you are known as a club sandwich caregiver. Taking care of everyone in your family means you have a lot of commitments, and this will take a toll on your performance at work. Many Industries are paying attention to the sandwich generation and making sure they provide the proper support since they are often stressed, and least productive at work.
More companies are offering stress relief at work, workshops for financial planning and health incentives so the sandwich generation caregiver can take care of the health and family without feeling stressed out. Since there is more awareness regarding sandwich generation caregivers you can discuss with their human resource manager or check the benefits booklet for employees in your company to check out different offers. The sandwich generation caregivers can only learn healthy coping skills after getting services from a professional therapist since their stress levels are higher than normal.
Communication is important when you’re feeling overwhelmed with all the responsibilities so recruiting family members to assist you and going for after-school programs helps calm your nerves. Sandwich generation caregivers can rely on local support groups so they can get time to care for their mental state and interact with people in similar situations. You need to master the art of communicating with your elderly parents as well as children since the elderly parent can face different health problems like cognitive disorders, Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Sometimes kids are affected by the obligations of a dual caregiver especially financially since their parents spend all the money as soon as they get it. You might be financially stretched to the limit, and you should know when to say no to your kids and elderly and take a few minutes to yourself, so you can plan out your obligation and know what you should prioritize.
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