From The Visiting Angels Elderly Home Care Resource Library:
Caring for Aging Parents Puts Boomers in a Bind

You’re rushing out of the office on a weeknight, hoping to get your daughter to soccer practice on time, cook dinner and help your other child with their homework. Just as you hit the road, your cell phone rings. It’s the pharmacy telling you that the two prescriptions your father needs immediately are ready for pick up. Or you’re off to your son’s school play just as your mom’s neighbor calls to inform you that she has fallen again and needs you right away.

"Caring for an aging or ill parent is a full-time job that can take a toll on the caregiver. Add to that the demands of your job, lost time at the job plus your immediate family’s needs, chances are you’re going to need assistance along the way..."

If these scenarios sound familiar, you’re stuck in the middle and have joined the “sandwich generation.” The term refers to adults with families of their own who find themselves caring for their parents as well. According to numbers from the National Family Caregiver Survey, 44 percent of Americans between the ages of 45 and 55 have aging parents or in-laws as well as children under 21.

This means that lots of families are dealing as best they can with the stress of running two households. Whether your parent lives with you, lives nearby or lives in another state, trying to juggle all these responsibilities is stressful, no matter how much support you have from family and friends.

And don’t forget the guilt. There’s plenty of that, too. Guilt over not spending enough time helping your kids with their homework because you’re cooking and freezing meals for your dad. Guilt over making your mom postpones her doctor appointment because your meeting at work ran overtime. Guilt at not having enough time to spend with your spouse. Guilt over asking your next-door neighbor to drive the kids to football practice – again – because you have to make long distance arrangements to attend to your loved one’s needs in another state.

“Caring for an aging or ill parent is a full-time job that can take a toll on the caregiver. Add to that the demands of your job, lost time at the job plus your immediate family’s needs, chances are you’re going to need assistance along the way,” says Richard Bitner of Visiting Angels, a national network of franchised non-medical senior homecare agencies.

Bitner ads, “Visiting Angels provides something these families have been missing -- stability in everyone’s lives and peace of mind.”

Courtesy ARA Content

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