Are your elderly parents in need of help at home? Are you additionally attempting to manage caring for children and family at home? If so, you are part of the sandwich generation – a demographic of men and women, ordinarily in their thirties or forties, who have found themselves responsible for bringing up their own children while at the same time providing care for their older parents. The to-do lists of our sandwich generation are packed. Countless family caregivers not only work full-time, but they are additionally shuttling children to and from school and after-school activities and taking care of a household on top of their caregiving obligations. There are remedies to help caregivers, however, and the first step is becoming knowledgeable on how to make the situation more manageable.
At the risk of adding more to your already overflowing plate, take into consideration adding these items to your to-do list:
Have a family meeting.
Talk through the various different caregiving duties that need to be carried out each day or week. Establish mutual expectations of how these caregiving tasks will be undertaken.
Get the facts to steer clear of surprises.
Caregivers should consult with their parents about how they’re doing from a financial perspective, what their desires are for long-term care, and what plans they may have made if they become sick or incapacitated.
Ask for assistance.
This can often be the hardest thing for a family caregiver to do, but it is without a doubt the most necessary. You cannot do everything on your own, and that’s fine! Contact resources including your local Area Agency on Aging, a hospital social worker, a medical professional, or a religious organization. Also contact a local senior care agency, like CareFor of San Antonio and other surrounding areas to give yourself a break while ensuring your loved one is well cared for.
Most importantly, bear in mind that you don’t ever have to go it alone. CareFor’s in-home care services can offer you the time you need to relax 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 just about anything in between, our professional care staff can assist with a broad range of home care needs: personal hygiene, meals, housekeeping, taking care of errands, transportation, or simply warm companionship to take part in enjoyable conversations and pastimes.
Call us today at (512)338-4533 or contact us online to discover more about our home care services and how we provide long term care in San Antonio and surroundings communities. To learn more about the other many areas we serve in Texas, please visit our Service Area page.