What is The Sandwich Generation?
This term describes those who care for both their elderly parents and their children. These individuals are caught between the dual role demands of providing for the older and younger generations. Pew Research Center states that nearly 47% of adults belong to this category. It happens because people live longer and have children later in life.
Hence, they are placing a considerable emotional, physical, and financial cost on caregivers, thereby obliging them to find ways of executing these responsibilities systematically. Otherwise, they face burnout.
What is Caregiver Burnout?
Caregiver burnout occurs when someone is tired, loses energy, and starts feeling low inside because they stop caring for themselves while always caring for others. It can make them feel powerless, angry, and worn out.
Symptoms of Caregiver Burnout:
- Recurring weariness: Feeling exhausted all the time, even after rest.
- Trouble with sleep: Difficulty falling or staying asleep.
- Irritability: Easily annoyed and frustrated.
- Depression or anxiety: Always feeling sad or worried.
- Withdrawal: Pushing away from friends/family/activities that one liked.
- Physical pain: Frequent headaches, body aches, or immune system weakness.
- Lowered immunity: Frequent illnesses due to a weakened immune system.
How to Prevent Caregiver Burnout?
1. Set Priorities and Boundaries
Setting priorities and establishing clear boundaries is crucial for caregivers pulled in multiple directions. Realize what is at the top of your list as a priority and focus on those. Let family members know your boundaries, and let those boundaries suggest what you can and cannot do. It might be giving a “no” answer when requests are made or delegating a task to another. Just remember that taking care of yourself is not selfish; it will make your role as a caregiver sustainable.
2. Share the Load with Your Family
Care should not be a one-person job. Involving other family members can lighten your load and share the responsibilities. It may be rotating shifts as a caregiver or having specific tasks for different people.
Alternatively, resources should be pooled to hire outside help. Open and honest communication within the family is critical to ensuring everyone understands their role and contributes to the caregiving process. Sharing the load would prevent burnout and result in receiving the best care for your loved ones.
3. Utilize Local Support Services
Adult daycare centers, meal delivery services, transportation services for seniors, and other community resources assist the caregiver. These help reduce some of the burdens associated with the constant daily caregiving tasks and provide much-needed relief.
Furthermore, most organizations offer numerous support groups for meetings with other caregivers in the same situation. The groups allow one to exchange experiences and can enable one to get the much-needed support for themselves. Use such services to manage your time and energy more effectively and reasonably well to ensure your well-being.
4. Make Medication Management Less Dangerous
Supporting geriatric parents with medication management is commonly frustrating and rife with mistakes. Using pill organizers and reminders or medication management apps to ensure that medications are appropriately and timely administered will also make this task safer and more manageable, minimizing risks related to health complications. Review the medicines periodically with health professionals to ensure they are still necessary and do not result in harmful interactions.
5. Self-Care
If you practice self-care, you will help avoid caregiver burnout. Your cup must be complete before you pour into others, so take time for pleasurable activities that help you unwind. Such activities may include exercise, reading a book, spending time with friends, or just soaking in a long bath. By doing these things regularly, you will be in a better mood and full of energy, and your well-being will improve, all adding up to the making of an excellent carer. If need be, schedule self-care into your calendar as a non-negotiable part of your day.
What is Senior Living?
Senior living surrounds a diverse array of housing solutions tailored specifically for older adults, ranging from vibrant independent living communities to more supportive environments. These communities are designed to cater to different needs, providing everything from luxurious amenities and social activities to personalized care and assistance.
How Can Senior Living Alleviate Stress for the Sandwich Generation?
1. Relief from Caregiving Duties:
Senior living communities offer professional care that relieves the sandwich generation caregivers of many daily burdens that become so much to handle.
2. Enhanced Quality of Life for Seniors:
These communities offer a wealth of activities and numerous social events, working wonders for enhancing the quality of life in seniors by keeping them active and engaged.
3. Access to Professional Healthcare:
This offers residents in senior living communities professional healthcare services and the assurance that medical needs are addressed quickly and effectively.
4. Financial Management and Predictability:
Senior living offers financial predictability because its pricing is all-inclusive, which allows families to manage their budgets without facing unexpected costs for caregiving.
5. Senior Living Gives Your Loved One a Healthy and Happy Social Circle:
Living in a community provides seniors the essential opportunity to build friends and be involved in social affairs, which tend to breed a much happier and more satisfying life.
Conclusion
Abundant Hospice believes in empowering the sandwich generation throughout this tremendously rewarding but understandably challenging caregiving journey. We know you are stressed by many demands being placed upon you, and want to offer resources, support groups, and respite care, services that will keep you well while continuing to provide the finest care possible for your loved one. Allow us to help you through this complex role, personally and professionally, so you and your loved ones will thrive during this period.
