Advice for the “Sandwich Generation”

So you woke up to a phone call early today. Mom fell again. You are wondering: What can I do? How can I help mom? How does she pay for all of this? Can she afford it? Where can I turn for unbiased advice?
You are not alone. Life today is active, especially for women aged 45 – 56 who care for both their parents and children. The label given to the 45 – 56 year olds is the “sandwich generation”.
An AARP report found that 44 percent of 45 – 56 year olds have at least one living parent and at least one child under age 21. In fact, 7 percent live in a household containing three generations, a parent or in-law, themselves, and their children. The time requirements of the person caught in the middle are obvious, but there may also be financial obligations. Helping a parent with the cost of groceries or medications is common, but loss of time at work is a real financial concern.
The National Family Caregivers Association states that 55 percent of women today will spend more time caring for their mother than their mother spent caring for them as a child.
What does this all mean? Coordinating care for your children and parents simultaneously is not easy. What can you do to manage this?
Mom falling again is a crisis and it will only get worse, but there is help. Living By Your Design is a localize FREE Placement Service to assist you in gathering information about home care and facility placement. These falls do not automatically mean she should go to a nursing home, There may be a number of options, but it is time to start planning before it is too late.
We work for you; providing options for care for your mother. The best part is that there is no charge for this service to you or your mom. The goal is to help mom safe and help remove the stress and burden from you of making a number of calls and research for services which may not even work for you.
For more information go to www.LivingByYourDesignInc.com or call 39-285-8088 and watch for our columns in “Healthy Cells”. magazine.